《There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game》


 Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Undeniable Scent of a Reincarnator

    ```


    Click.


    [You have entered the theater.]


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes, his posture still maintaining the motion of raising his hand to take something, but now it became somewhat stiff. Then, as if jolted, he suddenly snapped back to reality.


    This was a kitchen.


    But not the kitchen in his house.


    Xu Shuo lowered his hand, looking around in surprise, not quite understanding how he had changed kitchens in the blink of an eye.


    And just now, did he seem to hear a voice?


    It appeared that he had entered some ce.


    [The Scripted Murder Game project "Rainy Night Vi" will soon begin. Since this theater is a tutorial for beginners, please proceed to the hall immediately for the gathering.]


    Suddenly, a text appeared before Xu Shuo''s eyes, and at the same time, that icy voice sounded again.


    After it finished speaking, a 3D virtual arrow appeared in front of him, seemingly guiding him to the hall where the gathering was to take ce.


    Looking at the scene before him, Xu Shuo was stunned.


    Scripted Murder Game?


    yer?


    Regardless of what exactly was going on, this inexplicable situation seemed to reek of a Reincarnator''s presence!


    Xu Shuo did not hurry out of the kitchen. He first examined his current appearance, clothed in a white chef''s uniform and wearing a hat, seemingly in the role of a chef.


    Then, he pulled a kitchen knife from the rack and carefully examined the smooth de, finding his appearance seemed unchanged.


    Putting down the knife, Xu Shuo thought for a moment, raised his right hand to feel his left arm, and then bit down hard when the flesh was unprepared.


    "Hiss..."


    Xu Shuo sharply inhaled a breath of cold air.


    Forget it, he''d better head to the hall to gather.


    The kitchen was very close to the hall; he had already heard surprised voicesing from outside just now. When he went outside, he saw four other people, one man and three women.


    Judging by their confused looks, they seemed to have arrived here as suddenly as he had.


    When Xu Shuo appeared, all four turned their gazes towards him, their eyes filled with suspicion and wariness.


    Hm? So, should he greet them?


    Xu Shuo touched his chin, pondering.


    Just then, another man with a puzzled face came around the corridor corner, and in a sh, including Xu Shuo, all five pairs of eyes turned towards him.


    "Eh?!" The man seemed startled.


    Seeing his reaction, everyone turned their gazes away.


    One of the girls, who was holding a sketchbook and dressed in a cute pinafore,ined anxiously, "What''s going on? Are you filming a show or something? How did I suddenly end up here?"


    "Did you guys hear that voice just now?" said the woman sitting on the sofa, dressed in a ck dress, with a frown.


    "Yes! Something about a Scripted Murder Game!"


    The man dressed in in clothes hurriedly said, "I''ve heard of this game, so is this some kind of tv show about a Scripted Murder Game?"


    It seemed that some people still didn''t believe they had encountered a mysterious event.


    Xu Shuo didn''t feel like standing, so he simply went to the sofa, found a spot to sit, and the woman in the ck dress nced at him before looking away again.


    "Have you seen any show that can teleport you while you''re eating?" the woman said with scornfulughter.


    Hearing this sarcastic remark, the man seemed to think of something and looked a bit embarrassed.


    At that moment, the girl holding the sketchbook said impatiently, "I was out shopping with a friend when I suddenly ended up here, I have no idea what happened."


    Once someone started sharing, everyone began to talk about their own situations.


    "I... I was taking a shower," another inly dressed girl said, and shyly lowered her head.


    "I was cooking," Xu Shuo stated briefly, which seemed quite convincing considering the chef''s outfit he was wearing.


    Even though Xu Shuo wasn''t wearing this outfit at the time.


    ```


    The man who walked outst was dressed in a work vest, with a DSLR camera hanging on his chest, and said with a worried look, "I was working overtime at mypany at the time."


    The moment they were suddenly transported to another ce, it was clear that there was nomon feature in what each of them was doing, the only simrity perhaps being the inexplicable same point in time.


    "Wee to Script Space."


    That cold voice resonated in their minds once again.


    The group exchanged looks with each other, and soon after, the white walls of the hall disyed lines of text, appearing alongside the voice.


    "Script Space is primarily a venue for the y of Scripted Murder Games, you are all selected yers with potential, and once you enter the performance theater, you cannot leave halfway, you mustplete the main tasks until the script concludes."


    "This theater will begin in ten minutes, given that this is a novice yer''s theater, each of you may ask the system questions during the game on the condition they do not spoil the script."


    "The script has been distributed to your yer''s Handbook, I wish all yers an enjoyable performance experience!"


    After that final phrase, the voice disappeared.


    At the same time, the group inexplicably sensed something new in their minds, a profound and indescribable sensation.


    "But I''ve never yed a Scripted Murder Game before!" The girl, who was taking a shower when she arrived, said anxiously after a moment of silence in the hall.


    "I haven''t either."


    "Me neither."


    "..."


    Suddenly, out of the six people present, five stated they had never yed a Scripted Murder Game before.


    The only woman who had, wearing a ck long dress, looked at them incredulously, "Really? This game is so well-known, and you''ve never yed it?!"


    Xu Shuo looked at her and suddenly said, "I''ve learned some rules, and I''ve watched simr variety shows, but I''ve never actually yed."


    At that moment, the girl holding a sketchbook snorted, "I''ve seen my friends y, but I never participated."


    The woman turned to the other three people, but they all just awkwardly shook their heads, clearly having no clue how to y the game.


    "Since you''ve yed it, why don''t you exin it to us?" The girl with the sketchbook pursed her lips and spoke in a rather irritable tone.


    She just didn''t like the high-and-mighty attitude of the woman, especially the smug expression that almost burst forth when she heard they had never yed the game.


    It''s just a game. If you''ve never yed, you''ve never yed, who cares, humph!


    "It''s no big deal to exin it to you."


    The woman in the ck dress gave her a look, sat down on the sofa, casually crossed her legs, seemingly offhand, "Actually, Scripted Murder Games are quite simple, there are many types of scripts, and different scripts have different gamey. But all this is not necessary for you newbies to understand right now."


    "Can you at least exin what we need to know for now?" At that moment, another girl couldn''t help interrupting her.


    They only had ten minutes to be familiar with this, and they did not want to spend half that time listening to this "seasoned yer" unt her knowledge of the game.


    Clearly, as they encountered this unknown event, the restlessness brought about by unease quickly spread among them.


    The woman in the ck dress looked at them, put down her legs, and spoke casually, "Fine then, you guys first take a look at the synopsis of the script. Usually, beginner tutorials are quite straightforward, just follow the story to find the killer, and after you''ve read it, I''ll teach you how to proceed."


    Hearing her say this, the group momentarily set aside their resentment and with the remembrance of the script, that mystical sensation appeared in their minds again.


    Xu Shuo saw a paper book appear seemingly out of thin air before his eyes.


    And judging from everyone''s surprised expressions, it seemed that something simr had appeared in front of them too, but they couldn''t see each other''s version.


    The first page of the book was the title of this Scripted Murder Game "Rainy Night Vi."


    Using his thoughts to control it, Xu Shuo quickly flipped through and finished reading the background of the story, then looked at the information about the character he was to portray in the script.


    Then, his expression became slightly odd.


    That long block of text, no matter how he looked at it, from every angle, even after scrutinizing it for a long time, he could only discern two words in between lines¡ªmurderer!


    Xu Shuo stared at the method of the crime, immersed in thought.


    ...


    ...


    ps:


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 Chapter 2: Chapter 2 When You Think You Are the Murderer

    "Rainy Night Vi".


    If you see stairs in the forest, don''t walk up them carelessly; if you see a house in the mountains, it''s best not to enter lightly.


    On a stormy summer night, a torrential downpour trapped several travelers in the mountains, and while they were looking for a way out, they stumbled upon a luxurious manor halfway up the mountain.


    The manor owner warmly weed the travelers. Since the mountain roads were dangerous on a rainy night, the group decided to stay overnight at the manor.


    However, with the arrival of these unexpected guests, the quiet of the mountain manor was soon to be broken. The ugliness buried behind its gloss, the secrets unknown to others, the strange noises of the night, and the murderer lurking in the shadows were all poised to strike!


    ...


    [Main Quest: Mission One, poison Mr. Guo, the manor owner. Mission Two, avoid being captured as the murderer.]


    Xu Shuo looked over his main quest, then nced at the others, noticing that their expressions were all more or less strange, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkwardly quiet.


    Seeing this, he almost wanted tough.


    It seemed that everyone hadplicated identities. Was this really just a simple tutorial script?


    After a while, the girl holding the sketchbook was the first to speak, frowning as she said, "It seems like a murder-mystery script, doesn''t it?"


    No sooner had she finished speaking than the woman in the ck dress cleared her throat and said leisurely, "These kinds of detective scripts aremon for beginners. In a Scripted Murder Game, after the plot starts, we just follow along and then find the murderer."


    Then, with a suggestive arch of her eyebrow, she added, "Let''s discuss what our identities and main quests are before we start."


    Hearing this, Xu Shuo''s gaze flickered slightly. As the murderer, he continued to maintain his character of speaking very little from the start.


    The girl with the sketchbook gave her a look but didn''t speak.


    The other few hesitated for a moment and were about to speak, when suddenly, the system''s voice that had disappeared rang out again.


    [Before the script starts, yers are prohibited from revealing their real identities and mission details. Scripted Murder Games are all about immersive experiences. Each yer has a unique identity. Please embody your roles with all your heart.]


    After the warning, the voice disappeared.


    The hall fell into silence once more, and the people exchanged nces, with only the woman in the ck dress looking visibly embarrassed.


    She clenched her fists at her waist and then quickly adjusted her demeanor, pretending to be rxed as she said, "Well, nothing to be done then. I was thinking of getting to know the plot thoroughly and then breezing through it with you all, but since the system doesn''t allow it, let''s drop it."


    The girl with the sketchbook snorted coldly but said nothing.


    The other three, who had no experience with scripted murder games, didn''t quite understand the situation and could only offer embarrassed smiles.


    As it looked like the conversation was about to stall, Xu Shuo, not wanting to waste these ten minutes, spoke up, "We''re only told not to reveal our identities, so we can still introduce ourselves, right? I remember that we can introduce our roles before a Scripted Murder Game starts?"


    After he finished speaking, everyone waited a moment and heard no further warnings from the system.


    The girl with the sketchbook looked towards him and took the lead, saying, "I am a sketch artist. Because I painted toote today and ran into heavy rain, I passed by this manor whileing down the mountain, so I came in to seek shelter."


    Xu Shuo nodded and also volunteered, "I am the resident chef of the manor."


    He kept it short, because his identity was indeed that simple.


    After the two of them had introduced themselves, the woman in the ck dress, not to be outdone, quickly said, "My name is Zhan Qian, a guest invited by the vi owner, and I am a mysticist."


    Her identity seemed rather special, and the group looked at her in surprise. The French-style ck dress, her cool and exquisite makeup, the hexagram ne around her neck, and the other jewelry she wore, indeed gave off a mystic vibe.


    After the three experienced with Scripted Murder Games had introduced themselves, the other three novices also began introducing themselves.


    "Well, my character''s name is Tan Xiaohe, she is..."


    "Wait a minute," the mysticistdy suddenly interrupted another girl who started to speak, with an unhurried tone, "When introducing yourself in a Scripted Murder Game, it''s best not to talk in the third person. You are now that person, so it''s better to directly immerse yourself in the role."


    "Oh¡­"


    The girl looked awkward for a moment, pulled a wry smile, and continued, "My name is Tan Xiaohe. I came to the mountains for hiking with my boyfriend and got lost. Then the heavy rain came, and we ended up at the manor."


    "You and your boyfriend?" Zhan Qian raised an eyebrow.


    "That, I might actually be her boyfriend..."


    Just then, another man raised his hand, saying embarrassedly, "My name is Yang Ming. I came hiking with my girlfriend, got lost, and then the heavy rain caught us, so we ended up seeking shelter here."


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo sized up the two people without a change in expression.


    After they finished introducing themselves, there was still onest person.


    The man wearing the utility vest picked up the SLR camera on his chest and said awkwardly, "Well, I''m a photographer. I was shooting material in the mountains, and then when night fell and the heavy rain made descending impossible, I came to the manor to seek shelter. This is so embarrassing... I don''t even know how to take photos."


    The man who didn''t know photography had ended up with the role of photographer.


    Xu Shuo thought it over and was relieved that he actually knew how to cook, otherwise these people would have nothing to eatter.


    Among the six people, three had introduced themselves with names, and three had only stated their identities.


    Having a name didn''t necessarily mean anything, and not having one didn''t denote anything either. It just added more suspense to the Scripted Murder Game.


    Xu Shuo was clear that he wasn''t an ''ob'' character; not having a name but yet being the murderer.


    But in a Scripted Murder Game, sometimes you think you''re the murderer, but actually you''re not. You think you killed someone, but in fact the real killer is someone else.


    And just when you think it''s a twist, oh no, herees another twist¡ªyou really are the murderer.


    Surprised or not?


    ¡­


    [The Scripted Murder Game "Rainy Night Vi" will begin in one minute. Please return to your character positions immediately. Those not in their designated positions in one minute will be forcibly transferred.]


    At this moment, the system''s voice rang out again, apanied by a 3D arrow indicating the way.


    Xu Shuo had to get back to the kitchen; that was where he had spawned.


    The others also stood up from the sofa, one after another. Zhan Qian looked at the three new yers with tense faces and lifted her chin, saying, "Don''t worry. You won''t have to do muchter on, just follow my lead. I''ll take you through the game like a boss!"


    After saying that, she walked away, her long legs hidden beneath her maxi skirt swaying as she turned into the corridor.


    Once she was gone, the cute-dressed painter girl scoffed and rolled her eyes disdainfully: "Tch, what''s so great about her."


    The system''s countdown was already ticking. The few new yers gave an awkward smile, exchanged polite words, then hurriedly followed the direction of the arrow back to their character positions.


    The several travelers who had stumbled into the manor and gotten lost had their spawn points in the vi''s guestrooms, along the corridor on the second floor to the right. Only the invited Mysticist was staying in the second corridor to the left, which seems to be closer to the Manor Owner''s room.


    Xu Shuo was still standing in the hall when he suddenly became curious and asked inwardly, ''System, will I be erased if I fail the mission?''


    [Script Space will not erase any yers for any reason. However, once a new yer loses their newbie protection, death in the script is equivalent to actual death.]


    The system''s voice subsequently echoed in his mind.


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow. Having read so many novels, he rarely encountered a system that didn''t erase its host. It felt a bit unusual.


    Oh, wait, this system didn''t seem to be his.


    Thus, Xu Shuo watched the others return to their rooms and waited until the one-minute countdown ended.


    The next moment, his vision blurred, and he found himself standing in the kitchen.


    At the same time, the system''s voice sounded¡ª


    [As you did not reach the designated location within the specified time, 10 points have been deducted from your performance value. Your current performance value is -10. If the performance value is below 100 at the end of the game, a penalty mechanism will be activated.]


    Xu Shuo: "¡­"


    What is a performance value?

 Chapter 3: Chapter 3 The murderer resents not exposing himself quickly enough

    [Scripted Murder Game "Rainy Night Vi" begins its performance.]


    After the system''sst prompt sound fell, the mountain vi, which had been extremely quiet, suddenly came alive.


    Apart from the distant rumble of thunder and rain outside, other noisy sounds gradually began to rise.


    As Xu Shuo turned his head, he saw a robust old man dressed in a proper ck suit with a white bow tie and gold-rimmed sses walk in.


    The man was dressed like a traditional-style butler.


    Without showing it, Xu Shuo sized him up as he heard the other person say, "The Manor Owner ns to invite the new guests for dinnerter, so you can start preparing now."


    "Alright," Xu Shuo nodded in response.


    The butler seemed to havee only to ry this message to start the chef''s story, and left after leaving the prepared menu behind.


    Xu Shuo picked up the menu and nced at it when the system suddenly popped up with a helpful hint:


    [Please poison Mr. Guo, the Manor Owner, andplete Main Quest One at this time.]


    Seeing the huge arrow instruction and the detailed methods of poisoning exined in the mission statement, Xu Shuo was convinced it was a tutorial for new yers.


    He looked around and then reached into his apron to pull out the poison, and emotionlessly smeared the poison onto one of the bowls in the sanitizer cab, as instructed by the system.


    Xu Shuo was quick, urate, and ruthless in his actions, and he swiftly returned the bowl to its ce after the deed was done.


    He then rolled up the two-centimeter packet of poison and stuffed it into the sink drain, turned on the tap to wash his hands, and incidentally flushed the evidence of the crime down the drain.


    After preparing the required murderous technique as prescribed by the script, Xu Shuo opened the freezer, took out the ingredients, and started making dinner.


    Frankly, he still couldn''t understand.


    With this method of killing, did the murderer not worry about revealing themselves too quickly?


    Xu Shuo felt his second task was exceedingly difficult.


    Just as he had finished washing his hands, a voice suddenly came from behind, "Master Zhang, the butler asked me toe and help."


    Xu Shuo turned sharply to see a young man standing at the kitchen door, also dressed as a chef, with a shy and awkward expression on his face.


    There were two resident chefs in the vi, one was the identity Xu Shuo had taken on, specifically to prepare meals for the Manor Owner, and the other was an apprentice responsible for cooking for the servants of the manor.


    Both had started working here at the same time, but the meals prepared by Xu Shuo''s character were obviously more delicious.


    "Thanks." After sizing up the young man, Xu Shuo nodded and said.


    ...


    An hourter, the traditional-style butler came over to check on things.


    By then, Chef Xu and the Nameless Junior Chef had sessivelypleted several dishes, and the female maids entered, nodded at them, and then began setting the table, opening the utensil sanitizer.


    As Xu Shuo was ting the dishes, his gaze unintentionally swept over the cab, where a maid casually took out that special bowl.


    He memorized the girl''s appearance.


    The European-style dining room outside.


    After being individually notified by the manor''s butler, the invited yers sat awkwardly at the round table, watching the pretty maids in maid outfits ce one dish after another before them.


    The main seat was still empty; it seemed the Manor Owner would make his appearancest.


    Besides the main seat, there was another vacant spot, which the yers didn''t think much of at the time, assuming it was reserved for the yer who was cooking in the kitchen.


    After all, these seats were just enough for the number of yers.


    "Wow, that chef can really cook," said the photographer, leaning his body to the side, craning his neck to whisper to Tan Xiaohe beside him.


    "Yeah, it''s good that he can," Tan Xiaohe smiled.


    There was a mischievousness in the girl''s smile, which made the photographer remember something, and he awkwardly smiled in return.


    After all, everyone had learned during the earlier introductions that the man who got the photographer identity actually knew nothing about photography.


    "I hope that experienced yer can really lead us to coast through, otherwise, I don''t even know how to y this game," the photographer suddenly sighed with a hint of mncholy.


    The mysticist Zhan Qian he referred to was sitting opposite the group, on the right-hand side of the main seat.


    Next to her sat another male student, Yang Ming, followed by Tan Xiaohe, the photographer, Miss Painter, and another empty seat to the left of the main seat.


    Apart from Miss Zhan, who was seated there by the butler''s guidance, the other guests had taken their seats at random.


    The round table was veryrge, and the gap between each person was also considerable; one had to lean in to whisper.


    Seeing the photographer whispering to "his girlfriend," Yang Ming, who was sitting idly by, couldn''t help but join in and said in a lowered voice, "I bet the owner of this vi has something quite special for that... for her."


    He surreptitiously pointed at Zhan Qian sitting beside him.


    This mysticist, dressed in a ck gown with her makeup meticulously applied, exuded an air of natural pride and sophistication as she sat quietly, resembling an esteemed guest, and seemed out of ce among the rest of them, who were uneasy and restless.


    "After all, we are the only ones who barged in," Tan Xiaohe said with wide eyes and a convincingly serious expression.


    Yang Ming: "..."


    The photographer: "..."


    There was no need to put it quite so bluntly.


    But it seemed to be the case during the earlier introductions.


    They were the only ones who had gotten lost ande seeking shelter.


    At this point, after all the dishes had been served and the well-ordered maids had withdrawn, the few yers, who had been whispering among themselves, also quieted down.


    The butler, who had been out of sight just moments ago, reappeared and bowed apologetically, "The master was busy just now and kept you waiting."


    The few yers smiled in a courteous manner but said nothing.


    It was obvious to everyone that the host was putting on a show.


    At that moment, a middle-aged man in a gray suit, with a somewhat portly, cheerful smile, descended from upstairs. He carried with him an aura of gentleness that spontaneously made others rx.


    He seemed like a congenialndlord.


    The guests collectively took a discreet sigh of relief, fearing that the manor owner might embarrass them, the temporary lodgers, and being novice yers clutching their scripts, they were utterly unsure how to proceed.


    Even the mysticist Zhan Qian rxed slightly upon seeing the vi owner''s weing demeanor.


    Mr. Guo sat down at the main seat, which the butler had pulled out for him, and first smiled at Miss Zhan, "Miss Zhan, thank you for epting my invitation toe. You should know that this matter has troubled me for some time."


    Zhan Qian offered a cool yet polite smile, nodding reservedly, "Mr. Guo is too kind."


    "My vi has not had so many guests for a long time. It''s a rare chance to liven things up, so I invited everyone for dinner. I hope you won''t mind it," Mr. Guo then smiled at the other guests.


    His demeanor was very polite and gentle, the epitome of a courteous gentleman.


    Upon hearing this, the other guests also expressed their gratitude for his hospitality. They might not know how to y the game, but they could still muster a bit of small talk.


    After these words were said, dinner was about to begin, but just then, the ever-smiling Mr. Guo suddenly furrowed his brow.


    He abruptly put down his chopsticks and, looking dissatisfied, pointed to the empty seat on his left and said, "Butler, didn''t I say that no one could be absent from tonight''s dinner? Where is he?!"


    "This..." The old butler bowed slightly, saying with difficulty, "The young master refuses toe down for dinner."


    The young master?


    As their words fell, the gazes of the few yers shifted slightly.


    Was that seat not for the yer who was ying the chef?


    It seemed that there was another significant character in the vi; the young master who was currently at odds with Mr. Guo?


    ...


    At that moment in the kitchen.


    The junior chef who hade to help had left after the meal was prepared, and Xu Shuo took the opportunity to make a small meal for himself. He leaned against the door frame, eating while keeping an eye on the situation outside.


    As a yer with the role of a chef, even he was not allowed to dine at the table; the Scripted Murder Game had clearly defined roles for each character.


    He was now merely the culprit waiting patiently for the crime scene to unfold.

 Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The Crime Scene

    A person was missing from the dining table, seemingly the son of the manor owner.


    The atmosphere suddenly turned somewhat displeasing. Mr. Guo, who had just been smiling warmly, now wore a dark cloud over his face. His full, square face became especially stern when set, and it even seemed a bit frightening.


    A few discerning yers chose to keep silent, each harboring their own thoughts.


    Since there was mention of the "young master," it was evident that the manor owner, Mr. Guo, was not single. However, up to this point, only he had appeared before the guests, and it seemed that Mr. Guo''s son had quarreled with him, not giving his father any face even in front of strangers.


    And ording to the trope seen in certain animes, characters who have a reason not to appear always pose a big problem!


    Thus, in the minds of everyone present, the script had swiftly advanced from a "melodramatic family ethically drama" to the crucial point of "the deceased is the vi owner''s son."


    What followed was waiting for a maid or a youngdy to scream at the discovery of the crime scene.


    "Sorry, my son is a bit introverted. He''s probably too shy because there are too many people," Mr. Guo said after wearing a stern face for a while, but then, realizing there were guests present, he quickly mustered a polite smile and apologetically added, "Don''t worry about him, let''s eat."


    Polite smiles were exchanged among the few, and after the manor owner took the lead, they all began to pick up their tware.


    The atmosphere in this vi seemed somewhat solemn. Even though numerous servants had passed by before dinner, they had now all vanished without a trace, leaving only the faint sound of tableware on the dining table.


    The manor owner too stopped speaking. Although a smile remained on his face, his overly meticulous posture rendered everyone unable to find the courage to speak up, especially with the stark contrast in his mood just moments before.


    Zhan Qian had intended to seize the opportunity to make conversation, but now found herself without an opening.


    This Mr. Guo was very strange.


    If an incident truly were to ur in this game, he definitely carried a high level of suspicion.


    The several people at the dining table had different thoughts, yet none spoke a word.


    For a while, the whole dining room was suffused with an inexplicable repression.


    "Butler, have the kitchen prepare another portion of the meal to take up to him," said Mr. Guo after eating a few bites, presumably still deeply caring for his son, and he turned to instruct the old butler in a soft voice.


    "Yes."


    The old butler waiting at the side nodded and headed towards the kitchen.


    Seizing the moment, Zhan Qian felt that an opportunity had arisen.


    Just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from across the table, "Has Mr. Guo always lived in this manor? I oftene to this mountain to paint, but rarely see anyoneing down. I never knew there was a manor up here."


    She shot an annoyed nce over and saw that the question came from the girl who was presenting herself as a painter.


    Damn it, her line was stolen!


    Mr. Guo seemed a bit taken aback by the girl''s abrupt question but soon responded with a warm smile, "Yes, this vi was built a long time ago by my wife and me. But she has passed away. Since she loved it here, I decided to stay."


    The girl, hearing this, showed a faint smile on her serene face, "Then you must be a very affectionate person."


    Mr. Guo smiled in return but did not speak further.


    ...


    At this moment, Xu Shuo had just finished the meal in his bowl and saw the old butler approaching, so he put away the casual posture he had been leaning with against the doorframe.


    The butler entered the kitchen, not paying much attention to the empty bowl in his hand, and simply spoke lowly, "Make another meal for the young master."


    After finishing his instruction, he said no more, giving off the impression that such matters were routine.


    Xu Shuo nodded imperceptibly, "Alright."


    The butler left calmly.


    Watching his retreating figure, Xu Shuo waited a moment, but when no helpful prompt from the system came, he directly packed up the remaining food in the pot, arranged it decorously on the serving cart, and wheeled it out.


    There wouldn''t be anyone checking if the young master was being served leftovers, right? Surely not?


    As Xu Shuo left the kitchen, the yers in the dining room all covertly shifted their gazes towards him, watching him take the elevator to the second floor.


    This vi was extremely luxurious, with many rooms. Xu Shuo wheeled the serving cart directly down the left corridor. The mysticist Miss lived in the first room of the second corridor around the left corner, close to the master bedroom, while next to the master bedroom was a half-closed study.


    After ncing over these doors, Xu Shuo arrived at the room at the end of the corridor.


    "Knock, knock, knock..."


    He knocked on the door and waited for a while, but there was no response.


    Xu Shuo knocked again, this time with more force.


    After a long moment, a low, hoarse male voice came from inside: "I''m not eating, take it away."


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo subconsciously wanted to get into character and say something tofort the young master, but at that moment, a scream like one from a crime scene suddenly came from downstairs.


    "Ah¡ª!"


    The rmed and somewhat fearful shout unmistakably signalled to everyone that something had happened.


    Immediately after, there was amotion of chairs being shuffled, apanied by the old butler''s hoarse shouts of "Sir," and it seemed to have suddenly be very chaotic below.


    Xu Shuo paused, intending to go out and see what was happening when the door in front of him was suddenly "click" opened.


    A young man, skinny and slightly pale, with hair half-tied into a small braid at the back, emanating a decadent schr vibe, walked out. He frowned, his lips pressed in a tight line, looking extremely discontent.


    "What happened?" the young man asked, his voice somewhat low and husky.


    "I don''t know," Xu Shuo shook his head and said, looking towards the hallway outside, "It seems something has happened to the manor owner."


    As soon as he finished speaking, the young man was startled and then quickly turned and ran out, and naturally, Xu Shuo followed closely behind.


    He knew better than anyone what had happened.


    ...


    The crime scene, the dining table.


    The victim, Mr. Guo.


    The screamer, Miss Painter.


    Mr. Guo, who had just been speaking to her with a smile, abruptly spewed a mouthful of hot blood, sshing it all over the dining table, which instantly provoked Miss Painter to scream.


    The old butler rushed over, seemingly trying to administer emergency aid to his master, but before long, Mr. Guo''s head tilted, and he passed away right there on the spot.


    All of a sudden, the gentleman who had just been graceful and genteel was now thoroughly chilled.


    The five people at the dining table were wooden-faced.


    Tan Xiaohe, with her na?ve look, whispered to the photographer beside her, "Has it... started?"


    The photographer, still in a daze, nodded his head: "I guess."


    Now that the victim had appeared, the plot must have started, right?


    The old butler, ovee with grief, threw himself on Mr. Guo''s body, and at that moment, a lean young man quickly ran down the stairs.


    He nced at the bloodstains on the dining table and then at the lifeless man on the floor, his face full of disbelief, then suddenly knelt down, his eyes vacant, looking utterly soulless.


    Zhan Qian quickly surveyed the people present, then stepped forward and said, "Butler, is there a doctor in the manor, have hime over and take a look immediately, please!"


    As she finished speaking, the grieving butler seemed toe back to his senses and, with a bitter smile, said to the guests Mr. Guo had invited, "Although the manor owner has a hired private doctor, he does not reside in the manor."


    Unless under special circumstances, the doctor would onlye for a weekly check-up, and now with the darkness and heavy rain outside, it was unlikely for him to make it over.


    "This¡­" Zhan Qian was momentarily at a loss, then said, "Well, see if there''s anyone here who knows some medical knowledge, have theme over and take a look at your master, we need to figure out what happened."


    "Sure," the old butler wiped away his tears, quickly got up, and went to rally the servants.


    With the butler temporarily away, there was only the young man left at the scene, kneeling beside Mr. Guo, looking lost and helpless.


    This was the perfect opportunity for interaction!


    Zhan Qian nced at the unresponsive young man, then quietly waved, beckoning the yers over to her.


    Xu Shuo, standing in the back, arched an eyebrow, advanced a few quick steps, intending to listen in on how this group was nning to deduce the script and see if they might unravel him as the culprit right away.


    However, Zhan Qian''s first words to the Scripted Murder Game newbies were, "In a tutorial game for neers, it''s rare for a yer to be the murderer, as this is not conducive to newbies'' immersion. We can start our investigation with the people around the victim, which could make deducing the script faster."


    Hearing this, the others, impressed yet confused, therefore, nodded in agreement.


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo thought, "..."


    Thanks a lot, sis.

 Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Mutant Script

    While Zhan Qian was whispering with a group of yers, Miss Painter, who had just been startled, did not join them.


    She bent down and patted the shoulder of the young man who was sorrowfully facing Mr. Guo''s corpse, seeminglyforting him.


    The young man instinctively turned his head to nce at her but, in the next moment, suddenly widened his eyes, opened his mouth but quickly closed it again, and then lowered his head, continuing to shut down.


    Xu Shuo, who was observing them, was fortunate enough to see this and slightly raised his eyebrows.


    After a while, the departing butler brought over a servant who had some medical knowledge. Seeing this, Zhan Qian quickly stopped exining the game mechanics to the yers.


    Originally, the yers who were earnestly learning, also turned into drama queens, putting on a concerned and sorrowful expression.


    The maid who had been pulled over looked very nervous. After putting on gloves, she knelt down and turned over Mr. Guo, who was facing the ground, and carefully inspected him.


    Everyone was silent, quietly waiting for her verdict.


    "That is, the gentleman has already... passed away," after a long while, the maid said softly with trembling hands, under everyone''s gaze.


    "What was the cause?" Zhan Qian quickly asked.


    "Poison... poisoned..."


    "What poison?" This time it wasn''t Zhan Qian who eagerly asked, but Mr. Guo nearby.


    The maid anxiously fiddled with her skirt and shook her head at him, "I''m sorry, Young Master, I can''t determine the specifics."


    The group felt a hint of disappointment, the butler directly wept bitterly, muttering in grief, "How could this happen, why would such a thing ur..."


    Hearing this, Zhan Qian, who was pondering, changed her expression and hurriedly spoke up first, "Today, we came to the manor as guests, but we didn''t expect such a thing to happen. Butler, I think we need to investigate this thoroughly."


    The butler wiped his tears and nodded solemnly, "The master died of poisoning, this is certainly no ident¡ªI''m not suspecting anyone, but before the truth is clearly investigated, I hope you all don''t leave the manor, so as to avoid any misunderstandings."


    "That''s only natural," Zhan Qian nodded.


    No yer would object to this.


    ...


    With the sudden death of Mr. Guo, the owner of the manor, the butler had a lot to deal with.


    Although the elderly butler was very kind to the guests, when summoning the manor''s servants for questioning, his angry face was quite intimidating, somewhat resembling Mr. Guo when he was stern.


    The spacious living room felt a bit silent.


    Because the body couldn''t be moved before the police arrived, Mr. Guoying on the floor was covered with a white cloth, and the few people sitting on the living room sofa could clearly see the scene in the dining area.


    The butler had gone to check on the servants, and the distraught Mr. Guo had already been sent back to his room. At this moment, the living room truly only had the group of yers left.


    This was practically perfect timing for a script analyzing session!


    "Who do you think the murderer could be?" Zhan Qian, as an experienced yer, was the first to ask.


    "The butler and Young Master definitely have suspicion because they are close, and of course, the servants might be possible, but there is also the most likely suspect..." the photographer started speaking and then looked towards the young man sitting opposite him, continuing:


    "The chef."


    Xu Shuo looked up at him and smiled, "If this were a game of Werewolf, I would definitely say I''m not a werewolf right now."


    The photographer also returned an apologetic smile and did not say anything.


    They were just making simple spections at the moment.


    "But all of us ate the meals, only Mr. Guo was poisoned to death," Tan Xiaohe said.


    "Bowl," Miss Painter interjected indifferently.


    "Wow?" Tan Xiaohe tilted her head.


    "..."


    Hearing this conversation, her boyfriend said awkwardly, "What the youngdy must be referring to is the tableware. Did any of you notice during dinner that Mr. Guo''s bowl had a distinct style, different from ours?"


    Though it might be that the guest tableware is different from the host''s, it still represented a point of suspicion.


    At this point, Xu Shuo pretended to be lost in thought and said, "Speaking of which, when I was in the kitchen, I did see a servant taking out that particr bowl separately."


    "Do you still remember what that person looked like? We can ask the butler to inquireter," the painterdy suggested.


    "I have a rough impression."


    As they discussed the suspects, Zhan Qian nodded approvingly, like a teacher praising a child, and then asked, "So, what do you think their motive for murder might be?"


    "The butler seems to have been with Mr. Guo for a long time; he might have personal reasons, whereas Mr. Guo Jr. has a poor rtionship with Mr. Guo, and the servant might be motivated by money," the quick-thinking photographer spoke up first. During gamey, he appeared quite active.


    "Well said. In typical detective stories, we can easily deduce the suspects and their possible motives, but there''s onest thing that''s the hardest part," Zhan Qian said with a smile, "Evidence!"


    Without evidence, all spection falls apart!


    At that moment, Tan Xiaohe furrowed her brows and said, "Does that mean we can''t finish the scripted murder game until we find the evidence?"


    Zhan Qian looked at her, said nothing, but her expression was very assured.


    Being the only experienced scripted murder game yer here, this group of novices could only believe her.


    However, finding evidence certainly wouldn''t happen by just sitting around, so all eyes soon turned to the dining table nearby.


    The butler had left them in the sitting room and did not assign anyone to watch over them, whether this was part of the game or they had another motive was unclear.


    In any case, nobody acted rashly.


    "Weck information now, and any more spection is fruitless. Instead of sitting idly, we might as well search for clues elsewhere." After a moment of silence, the painterdy stood up, and after speaking indifferently, she turned and left.


    The few watched her leave, and seeing that no one appeared from any corner to stop her, they exchanged nces.


    "I think she makes a lot of sense. Do you mind if I check out the kitchen?" the photographer was the first to stand up, looking at Xu Shuo as he spoke.


    "Go ahead," Xu Shuo said nonchntly, waving his hand.


    "Then I''ll go check those dishes," Tan Xiaohe said with a smile.


    "I''ll go with you," Yang Ming, currently ying the role of her boyfriend, said.


    After the four yers had left, only Xu Shuo and the mysticist miss, with her air of proud elegance, remained on the sofa.


    Zhan Qian looked at him, curious, and asked, "Aren''t you going to investigate?"


    "They''re quite clear on their division ofbor, and so proactive, so I''ve decided to win by doing nothing," Xu Shuo stretchedzily,fortably leaning back on the sofa, and looked at the mysticist, "What about you?"


    "Clues that are too obvious don''t seem to be of much use, and I never do pointless work," Zhan Qian said with a smile lifting the corners of her mouth.


    "I remember you said you''d lead us through the script with ease," Xu Shuo propped his chin, smiling ambiguously.


    "Now is not the right time to explore."


    At this moment, the proud mysticist miss, seemingly indifferent, picked up a ss of water from the coffee table and took a sip. Her dark, pure ck dress gave off an air of profound mystery.


    After a few more exchanges, they fell into silence, and suddenly the living room became so quiet that only faint noises from the dining area could be heard.


    Zhan Qian paid no attention to the yers causing themotion and opened her yer''s Handbook to read. She then fell into deep thought.


    [Main Quest: Quest one, find the ghost wandering in the manor. Quest two, uncover the secrets hidden within the manor.]


    That main quest one, the ghost...


    Could this really be a Mutant Script?!


    The mysticist miss, who feared mysterious events, held herposure on the outside, but on the inside she was so anxious she took several sips of water.

 Chapter 6: Chapter 6: What If It Comes Back to Life?

    The dining room at the crime scene had two people squatting in front of Mr. Guo''s corpse, not touching it, but appearing to be seriously inspecting something.


    The boy seemed a bit afraid of the corpse, but the seemingly weak and gentle Tan Xiaohe was daringly bold, even quietly lifting the white cloth to peek at the Manor Owner''s gruesome condition.


    "What are you looking at him for?" Yang Ming asked, trying to suppress his disgust.


    "I''m checking to see if there are any clues on his body," Tan Xiaohe said, and after lifting a corner of the white cloth, she picked up some chopsticks from the table and poked at Mr. Guo''s jacket and trouser pockets.


    "You''re really bold." Watching her search, the boy felt he couldn''t just stand by, so he pinched his fingers to help lift the white cloth.


    "There''s nothing to fear from the living or the dead."


    Muttering to herself, Tan Xiaohe finished prodding the pockets of the suit jacket and trousers and didn''t seem to find anything inside.


    She put down the chopsticks with a sense of defeat and whispered with a frown, "That woman said that the Scripted Murder Game doesn''t end until we find evidence to solve the case? But it seems like our task has nothing to do with solving the case at all. Are they also expecting us to look for it?"


    Upon hearing this, Yang Ming leaned in and said, "Don''t listen to her, everyone has different tasks, we just need to do our own thing."


    Tan Xiaohe nced at him, and a cold smirk suddenly appeared on her usually docile face, "Yo, I remember you saying you''ve never yed Scripted Murder Games, right?"


    Yang Ming: "..."


    Now that they were all teammates tied to the same boat, there was no point in making a big deal out of it.


    ...


    While the two of them were quietly checking Mr. Guo''s body in the dining room, in the kitchen, the photographer was also inspecting carefully.


    Compared to other yers, the photographer had a very practical tool¡ªhis camera!


    After capturing the details of every corner of the kitchen, the photographer stared at the cupboard, deep in thought; he didn''t want to touch anything here and risk leaving his fingerprints.


    After all, crucial evidence could very well be hidden here!


    Instead of guessing that the butler or a servant was the murderer, the photographer''s intuition made him more suspicious of the chef, because among all the yer identities, only the chef was not an outsider!


    Who said in a beginner''s Scripted Murder Game the murderer couldn''t be a yer?


    ...


    While Xu Shuo''s car friends were each hiding their own thoughts, he was still sitting on the sofa, drinking tea.


    And at that moment, the butler who had dealt with the servants came back again.


    Hearing noises outside the living room, those who had been flipping bodies and searching the kitchen quickly stopped what they were doing, looking worried as if they hadn''t done anything.


    The butler came in, nced at Chef Zhang who was talking with Zhan Qian, and then said to everyone, "I have already called the police, but due to the weather tonight, they won''t be able toe over for now, so there''s no need for you to wait up; you might as well get some rest."


    "Don''t worry, we won''t leave before the police arrive," Zhan Qian stood up and said.


    "Thank you all," the butler replied, sweeping his eyes across the group before suddenly asking, "Oh, where is the other miss?"


    Zhan Qian averted her gaze; she had no mood to speak to the painter who kept stealing her thunder, so thepliant Tan Xiaohe answered, "She seemed a bit shocked and has gone to rest in her room."


    The butler nodded apologetically and sighed, "I didn''t expect such a thing to happen tonight. Our master has always been modest and polite to everyone, and living deep in the manor, he has never made any enemies. I wonder who could be so cruel as to poison and kill the master!"


    No one could really respond to this speech; they weren''t even interested in knowing who Mr. Guo was, only managing to awkwardly divert the conversation andfort the butler insincerely.


    As everyone was about to head back to their rooms, the butler suddenly seemed to remember something and called them back.


    "By the way, since the master was rather frugal, the manor will be entirely dark after ten o''clock, so please try not to walk around at night to avoid bumping into something and getting hurt." The butler wore a modest and kind smile, as if he was merely giving a regr reminder.


    But Zhan Qian, who was walking ahead with her back turned, let out an unnoticeable shiver and swallowed her fear with difficulty.


    Then she quietly exhaled, turned around with a noble and elegant perfect expression, and pridefully nodded to indicate that she understood before continuing upstairs. Her long legs under the ck dress moved at a steady pace with each step.


    The other few exchanged meaningful nces and also expressed their acknowledgment.


    Now, all the yers were full of perfunctory intentions.


    After the guests had left, the butler suddenly looked towards Xu Shuo, who was still on the side, and spoke indifferently, "Chef Zhang, it seems like you and Miss Zhan have a good rtionship?"


    Xu Shuo paused for a moment and said without any change in expression, "Miss Zhan has a nice personality, and I just happen to get along well with her."


    "Mm." The butler nodded calmly, stepped closer to him, and whispered, "Chef Zhang, you''ve been working at the manor for a year now, and I don''t want to suspect you regarding tonight''s events. However, until the truth is discovered tomorrow, I hope you will stick to your duties and not do anything unnecessary."


    Xu Shuo took a second to think about what the original chef''s character should be like and then promptly put on a nervous facade, "Butler, I understand."


    "Mm, you know the consequences of leaving the manor without permission." The butler gave him a meaningful look and turned to walk towards the dining room.


    "..."


    Xu Shuo was slightly stunned and still pondering the meaning behind those words when he heard the butler call out, "Come and help."


    He turned and saw that the butler seemed to be attempting to lift Mr. Guo''s body.


    "This... didn''t we say it''s best not to move the body before the police arrive?" Xu Shuo asked.


    "The master died of poisoning. It will suffice for the coroner to examine the bodyter. It''s not good to let the master lie here all this time," the butler said quietly, his eyes filled with a sorrowful expression that seemed to reflect genuine grief.


    "Okay."


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow slightly and followed the butler''s lead, one holding the head and the other the feet. They moved the body to the main bedroom on the second floor.


    The main bedroom was thergest room in the vi, adjacent to a study and next to that, the room closest to the corridor, was where Zhan Qian stayed.


    As they passed by, she seemed to be drawn by the noise and opened the door to look.


    Then her expression immediately became very strange.


    The previously noble and aloof demeanor simply couldn''t hold up!


    Xu Shuo analyzed briefly and concluded that her look was akin to that of someone in a horror movie who is about to be the first victim.


    After helping move the body to the bed in the master bedroom, the butler asked him to leave. Xu Shuo stepped out and saw Zhan Qian still leaning against her doorway, looking at him with an indecisive expression.


    "Is there something you want to say?"


    "Why did you move the body up here?" Zhan Qian asked softly.


    "The butler feels pity for his master lying on the ground, insisted on moving him to the bed," Xu Shuo said, spreading his hands.


    Zhan Qian''s face registered an odd look, as though she was hiding a secret.


    Then, she cautiously checked the surroundings, leaned in close to Xu Shuo''s ear, and whispered eerily, "Aren''t you afraid he might suddenlye back to life?"


    Xu Shuo: "¡­That''s unlikely."


    He finally understood why the woman had looked like she was about to be fodder. After all, she lived right next to the master bedroom, with just a study in between, practically cohabiting with a corpse.


    In the pattern of a horror movie, it was indeed the perfect setup for the first atmospheric kill.


    But, the system had already determined that his task one wasplete, so any notion of the corpseing back to life waspletely impossible!

 Chapter 7: Chapter 7 When the Night is Dark and Windy

    Xu Shuo fobbed off Zhan Qian, the cannon fodder of the story, and then followed the system''s directions to go downstairs and return to his own room.


    The other yers probably had already explored their respective rooms, and most likely found some supplies; only he still didn''t know what his assigned area looked like, or if there were any incriminating evidence exposing his identity.


    Before dispersing, the diligent NPC butler provided a key time point.


    Ten o''clock at night!


    And now there was still an hour and a half until ten o''clock.


    Once the clock struck, the monsters and ghosts would probably start their wild dance, and he needed to make some preparations to deal with them.


    The chef''s room was on the first floor to the right, near the staircase ¨C there were three rooms lined up, presumably all for the servants.


    Xu Shuo pushed open the door, then smoothly locked it behind him.


    After ncing briefly at theyout of the room, Xu Shuo began to search for "his" belongings, but he found nothing extra on the desk or in the wardrobe; it was spotlessly clean.


    On the desky several cookbooks with signs of frequent use¡ªit seemed that the murderer had been very serious about ying the role of a chef, even the notes in an open notebook were about recipe improvements.


    So, did hee to be a chef because of a grudge, or did he be a chef and then develop a grudge?


    Xu Shuo idly flipped through the notebook; it contained recipe improvements and jot down notes about mundane matters, such as the butler saying the master wanted sweet and sour fish tomorrow, or another junior chef asking him for culinary advice.


    There was no hint of the owner''s emotional inclinations.


    But a person about tomit murder couldn''t possibly show no signs at all, unless he was a lunatic who didn''t think with his brain.


    There were no extra clues on the desk, and apart from the neatly folded clothes in the wardrobe, no suspicious items were found.


    Xu Shuo sat on the bed in thought, then suddenly had an inspiration and bent down to look under the bed.


    In the dark and narrow space under the bed, a boxy quietly in the deepest part.


    Oh? A target found!


    Xu Shuo quickly moved the tin box out and was delightfully surprised to find the lid locked with an old-fashioned lock.


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    He paused for a moment, then got up to leave the room, moving confidently through the dark parlor and dining room to the kitchen to grab a kitchen knife.


    After returning to his room and re-locking the door, Xu Shuo brought the knife down directly onto the lock.


    "Crack!"


    The lock emitted a groan under the strain, with its springsing loose inside; he then chopped it a few more times,pletely breaking the lock off.


    After dealing with the lock, Xu Shuo opened the box to find a withered rose first.


    The rose had turned a dull red, and the withered, rotting flowery silently on a white dress, decorating a morbidly mncholic scene with its deep red and pale white.


    [Congrattions to yer for triggering the character quest: Zhang Shou.]


    The system suddenly chimed in.


    Xu Shuo paused, swiped through the system''s quest panel, and found that it wasn''t apulsory main mission and it didn''t even have a clear task description.


    But the identity of the chef was nowpletely revealed to him, and the character quest "Zhang Shou" appeared in the form of a card with a progress bar underneath, which was currently empty.


    He wondered what would happen if it got filled.


    ...


    Nightfall came.


    The lights of the manor were all extinguished, and only dim glows remained at either end of the corridors within the vi, which failed to serve any illuminating purpose and only added a sense of gloom.


    Soon, a door was quietly opened, and a petite figure stepped out of the room and turned into another corridor in the dark of night.


    As she passed by the master bedroom, the figure seemed to nce at the door but didn''t stop; she went straight to the door of the room at the very end of the corridor, twisted the doorknob without hesitation, and walked in.


    The sound of a lock snapping shut came from inside.


    At this moment, in the room near the corridor, Zhan Qian stopped straining her ears to listen and refocused her attention on the table in front of her.


    She looked through the items she had brought, and apart from amission letter from the Manor Owner, the rest were all sorts of weird and wonderful props required by a mysticist.


    Here was the problem, the photographer didn''t know photography, so as a mysticist, she was clueless about mysticism too!


    Tarot cards, crosses, crystals, candles... What on earth were these things?


    Could they really help find a ghost?


    And perhaps there was an even more important question, was her identity a sham?


    After all, in modern society... Forget it, forget it, why bother with science after traveling through time.


    Zhan Qian organized the items, and themission letter which the Manor Owner had given her delicately suggested that there were mysterious phenomena urring in his manor. Therefore, he requested her to investigate, but other than that, no additional information was provided.


    It was a very standard confidentialmission letter.


    "This game is so infuriating, it doesn''t give any information at the start!" Zhan Qian ground her teeth as she put down the letter and picked up her pile of mystical items.


    She took particr care to string up the cross and wear it.


    Although she did not know if the item used to deal with vampires would be effective against wraiths, she decided to just bring it along anyway. Then, she lit the quaint-looking white candle and held it in her hands as a source of light.


    Having prepared herself, Zhan Qian went to the door, hesitated for a moment, then went back into the room and sat down.


    "It''s only ten o''clock now. Maybe the ghosts haven''t evene out yet," Zhan Qian muttered to herself. But sitting idly was also irritating, so she started rummaging through her backpack again.


    ...


    Meanwhile, on the other side, a simr conversation took ce.


    "They''ve just turned out the lights, everyone is probably still awake."


    "Then we should rest for a while, that way we''ll have more energyter."


    "You sleep on the floor."


    "..."


    Since their identities were that of a couple, Tan Xiaohe and Yang Ming stayed in the same guest room.


    After entering, Yang Ming checked his tablet, only to find that not only were there no bugs, but the entire vi didn''t even have cameras installed.


    Yang Ming pondered, "What kind of situation would it be, to have so many servants yet casually not install any cameras?"


    Tan Xiaohey on the bed, idly ying with her phone and replied casually, "Maybe there are ghosts in the vi."


    "..."


    After saying that, the room suddenly fell into silence, eerie and dark, illuminated only by the light of theputer screen and the muted sound of a mobile game¡ªdeeply eerie.


    Suddenly, Tan Xiaohe found the man sitting on the floor odd and snickered, "You''re not scared of ghosts, are you?"


    Yang Ming''s expression was awkward, "No."


    Then, to prevent the woman from ridiculing him further, Yang Ming quickly changed the subject, "What do you think would happen if we failed the mainline quest?"


    "Don''t know," Tan Xiaohe said, bored with ying Candy Crush. "But I sure don''t want to try it out."


    "Neither do I."


    "So don''t drag me down."


    "..."


    With such a toxic teammate, Yang Ming really felt exhausted, but fortunately, they had only one task, and they had various practical props to assist them, so they should be able toplete the task soon.


    He just wonders what the treasure would be.

 Chapter 8: Chapter 8 Wandering in the Villa...

    The night was deep, and the rain outside was gradually subsiding. The vi''s walls boasted excellent soundproofing; once you shut the windows and doors in the room, there was only silence.


    In the darkness, a door close to the corridor opened gently.


    Zhan Qian, in her long ck dress, blended perfectly into the night. She touched the various mysterious decorations on her body, took a deep breath, and mustered the courage to step out of the room.


    She had no desire to experience the consequences of failing the mission.


    Previously, the system mentioned that neers could ask questions, so she specifically asked what would happen if she failed the main mission.


    But the system only mentioned there would be penalties, without revealing what they were.


    Whatever it was that had brought them into this world, she did not know, but it was definitely not something she could confront!


    Zhan Qian recalled the variety of novels she had read and imagined all sorts of dire consequences for notpleting the mission. She frightened herself into believing that failure was not an option.


    Since it was a Scripted Murder Game, it was unlikely that there would be apletely impassable dead end. Moreover, the system mentioned this was a scenario for neers, maybe the ghost was a benevolent spirit...


    She groped her way down the stairs, her mind filled with all sorts of muddled thoughts, all to keep herself from getting too scared.


    She looked around the pitch-ck vi; though it only had two floors, the dome was quite high.


    Looking up, the darkness above seemed like an abyss ready to devour someone.


    Zhan Qian shivered, quickly looking away, and began reciting the Great Compassion Mantra in her mind while taking a candle out.


    She knew the others would surely have different missions, which might alsomence tonight, but all that was irrelevant to her. She wanted toplete her own assignment.


    Furthermore, searching for ghosts and seeking out secrets seemed like the kind of exploratory tasks that wouldn''t conflict with the others'' missions.


    Shouldn''t be, right...


    I''ll search for mine, you search for yours...


    Muttering softly, Zhan Qian used a match to light the candle, then proceeded forward with the faint glow as her guide.


    She focused on searching the corners of the vi, hoping to find something like a basement¡ªamon feature in suchrge estates, usually designed as safe rooms.


    Dark ces often harbored the most secrets.


    As she felt along the walls, there was a sudden "click" at the vi''s entrance.


    Zhan Qian shivered violently, whipping her head around to look. A chill breeze touched her, clearly distinct in the silence of the vi, apanied by the gentle patter of rain.


    What was that?


    A ghost entered?!


    At this thought, Zhan Qian''s breathing became rapid. She looked down at the mysterious decorations on her body, then clenched the cross ne in her hand and began to walk toward the door with quick, light steps.


    The vi''s main door was ajar, opened to the width of half a person.


    Cold air seeped through the gap, with the vast darkness outside and the rain''s gentle sounds drifting in, mingled with a chilling coldness.


    Zhan Qian carefully observed her surroundings as she edged closer, the candle casting a muddled light around her. Up until now, she hadn''t detected anything strange, and there were no prompts from the system.


    Seeing the open door, Zhan Qian pursed her lips, pondered for a brief moment, and then boldly strode over to fling the door wide open!


    The burst of courage caused her heart to race; her eyes wide open, staring into the outside. However, there was only the fragrance of moist earth and the drifting rain¡ªno ghost in sight.


    No, that wasn''t right!


    Either something hade in, or, something had gone out!


    Having already mustered the courage to open the door, an increasingly motivated Zhan Qian walked out, holding the candle high under the eaves as she surveyed the surroundings.


    The night wind blew, causing the candle me to flicker gently.


    Realizing the situation, Zhan Qian quickly shielded her light, ncing around superstitiously.


    What on earth had just happened?


    Could it be that the vi''s main door, deteriorated with age, had opened on its own?


    Not even a ghost would believe that.


    Zhan Qian trembled both psychologically and physically as she stepped back to the doorway, peeking inside the vi. All she saw was pitch-ck darkness, not even a ghostly shadow.


    Suddenly, another cold wind came sweeping through, chilling her slender frame.


    Zhan Qian shivered and began to think about backing out.


    But just as she was about to turn around, a thick bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky, illuminating the courtyard not far away, and the white figure standing in the corner became strikingly clear in that instant!


    "Ah!"


    A subsequent peal of thunder roared, as if the whole mountain were bellowing, drowning out a brief, shrill scream.


    [Congrattions onpleting Task One: Find the ghost wandering in the mansion.]


    ...


    In a guest room on the second floor, dark and silent.


    Yang Ming was wearing night vision goggles when he suddenly paused and asked, "Did you just hear a scream?"


    "You''re losing your mind," Tan Xiaohe put on Bluetooth earphones and casually replied, "Do you think this is like a horror movie where we get a scream right before the action starts and then the escape prelude begins?"


    Yang Ming twitched his mouth, "Sounds like you''re the one who watches too many horror movies."


    Both dressed in ck suitable for stealth, after putting on their gear, they quietly opened the door and went out. Taking the lead, Tan Xiaohe signaled with her hand and then rapidly moved forward against the wall, looking highly professional.


    Yang Ming, following behind with a tense face, wasn''t quite as graceful as he scuttled along the wall, and he reached the second corridor on the left.


    The two found the location of the study with precision. Tan Xiaohe was about to pick the lock when she realized the door was merely ajar.


    "What''s up?" Yang Ming, trailing behind, inquired softly as he saw her halt.


    Tan Xiaohe didn''t answer; instead, she turned and made a shushing gesture, then gently pushed the door open and scanned the interior. The study wasn''trge, and after a quick sweep revealed no one inside, she slipped in.


    Seeing this, Yang Ming followed quickly, closing the door and locking it behind him.


    "Hurry up, hurry up!"


    Tan Xiaohe urged while checking other ces; she inspected both the bookshelf and under the desk.


    Yang Ming moved forward, turned on theputer on the desk, and then connected his tablet with a data cable.


    Their equipment was high-end, with detectors andputers, to directly steal the vi owner''s information, making the search for items all the more convenient, right?


    And Yang Ming happened to be a programmer.


    While her teammate was hacking into someone''sputer, Tan Xiaohe rummaged through the other items in the study, hoping to find more clues until she pryed open a locked drawer. That''s when she finally noticed something odd.


    A pile of full letter papers.


    So many letters?


    Tan Xiaohe casually picked up a piece of paper and looked it over, her expression growing nker the more she read.


    As Yang Ming busied himself with transferring data, he noticed the girl crouching beside the desk seemed off and took a moment to ask, "What''s wrong, did you find something?"


    Tan Xiaohe didn''t respond, but passed the letter paper to him.


    The words on the paper were written in pretty, delicate small script, seemingly by a woman.


    But the content was rather explosive¡ª


    "Devil! Pervert! Madman! You will not die well! I will never let you off! Absolutely will not let you off! I want you to die alongside me! I want you to be consumed by demons! I want you to descend to the Eighteen Levels of Hell!"


    Having read just a part, Yang Ming: "..."


    The whole page was densely packed with curseden words that made one''s skin crawl.


    He shakily handed the paper back and refocused on the tablet, deciding to stick to his task.


    No problem, don''t be so curious.


    They were just there to steal some riches.

 Chapter 9: Chapter 9 Rose Flower

    Tan Xiaohe took the paper, but continued to read on, her interest apparently piqued as she quickly nced over each letter.


    But the messages were all pretty much the same threatening and intimidating words.


    The handwriting was so nice, yet the words spoken were so spine-chilling, and there were even things that looked like red bloodstains on several pages. Tan Xiaohe sniffed them and realized they were indeed blood.


    Yang Ming watched her in horror, "What are you doing?!"


    Tan Xiaohe rolled her eyes and casually said while looking at the letters, "I''m looking for any useful information. Do you really need to be that scared? I actually find it quite interesting."


    "¡­" Yang Ming thought for a moment, then seriously said, "What excites one person may not excite another."


    What''s more, when they had first met, this girl had seemed so cute and na?ve, giving the impression of being pure and easily bullied. Who would have thought she''d be such a hard-core fan in secret?


    It''s no wonder in a Scripted Murder Game, the yers chosen are all acting talent.


    While Yang Ming internallymented, his hands weren''t slow in stealing data; the Manor Owner''sputer contained a lot of stuff, and without time to sort through what was useful and what wasn''t, he had to copy everything wholesale.


    Having finished with the letters, Tan Xiaohe turned to the bookshelf. Although she was up to a lot, her movements were so light that they didn''t make a sound.


    In the silent, pitch-dark study room, only the gleam from theputer screen shone, its brightness turned down to the lowest.


    Each person carried on with their own task, tacitly making no unnecessary noise. However, at the next moment, a sudden "click" echoed in the deathly quiet space.


    Whoosh!


    Tan Xiaohe''s head shot up, and then she swiftly moved to the side of the door, silent as a shadow.


    She pressed her ear against the door to listen, then gestured to Yang Ming.


    As soon as that inexplicable noise was heard, Yang Ming had already started packing up theputer and his tablet, but now, he couldn''t find a ce to hide!


    The entire study was visible right from the entrance; the desk was in front of the window, one wall lined with tall bookshelves, the other with sofas and a coffee table for guests, clean and simple, with nowhere to hide a person!


    Even though the vi was soundproofed very well, the rustling sounds just outside the door, apanied by the faint murmur of conversation, had already begun to filter through.


    The person who had just tried the doorknob, upon finding the door locked, seemed to be getting a key ready.


    Tan Xiaohe deftly twisted her body to return to the room and casually stuffed the book she had taken back into the shelf. Then, she went to the window and quietly opened it.


    She pointed outside the window.


    Jump out?!


    Yang Ming''s eyes widened as he looked at her; and before he could react, the girl had smoothly vaulted out, her Nightwear blending her quickly into the night.


    Click...


    The faint sound of a key entering the lock seemed clearer than ever before.


    Yang Ming gritted his teeth, mbered onto the windowsill, and as he swung his legs over, he realized that Tan Xiaohe, who had just jumped out, was holding onto the window ledge, moving sideways towards the next room''s window.


    The room next door was the master bedroom, with the windows of the two rooms only about half a meter apart.


    Tan Xiaohe moved to the edge while gripping the study''s window ledge, then stretched out her left hand to touch the master bedroom''s ledge and quickly shifted her fulcrum there.


    Yang Ming, still holding onto the windowsill mid-air, had to admire the girl''s strength.


    Supporting the entire weight of her body with her hands was no small feat. He quickly closed the window, and at that moment, the study room''s door openedpletely with a click.


    Yang Ming didn''t have time to peek to see who entered. He carefully moved to the edge of the windowsill, and then he was stumped.


    His hands were already tired, and now he was supposed to hang on with one hand and move his body across!


    By this time, Tan Xiaohe had finished moving across and was gently pushing the master bedroom''s window; finding it able to open, she propped up her upper body and climbed in.


    Yang Ming: "¡­"


    This girl must actually be a martial arts expert.


    Thump¡ª


    Suddenly, the lights in the study were turned on!


    The warm yellow light instantaneously spilled out of the window, and a pair of hands that had been perfectly hidden in the darkness were exposed under the light, their four fingers grasping the window ledge tinged with a dull yellow hue.


    Yang Ming was startled, not daring to gamble on whether the person woulde to the window to check. If discovered, he could hardly exin himself.


    He took a deep breath, then clenched his teeth and reached out his left hand to grab the window ledge next to him, the veins on the back of his hand bulging from the exertion. At that moment, a hand suddenly reached out from the master bedroom window and grabbed his wrist.


    Tan Xiaohe looked at him with a face full of disdain.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, while a Spider-Man like drama unfolded on one wall of the vi, in the pitch-ck courtyard, a person stood there, silently watching them.


    After witnessing the agile girl jumping and flipping through the window and timely pulling up herpanion, that person also raised their hand and silently apuded.


    Compared to themselves, others'' missions seemed even more thrilling.


    Then, they nced over at the study with its lights turned on, the silhouettes of two people reflected on the window.


    Only someone inside the vi would dare to turn on the light in the middle of the night, and moreover, it had to be someone with a clear conscience.


    Xu Shuo withdrew his gaze, not wasting any more time. He turned around, picked up a shovel, casually brushed the long hair that had fallen over his eyes, and then vigorously drove the shovel into the soil.


    ¡­


    In the master bedroom, after finally flipping inside, Yang Mingy on the floor gasping for breath, looking at Tan Xiaohe who was searching the master bedroom as if nothing had happened.


    "You really have good stamina," hemented.


    Tan Xiaohe scoffed with disdain: "Regr exercise. I guess you''re just a fragile homebody in real life."


    Yang Ming didn''t reply, just covertly rolled his eyes and began to survey the master bedroom.


    The master bedroom in the vi was very spacious, twice the size of the study, with two windows¡ªone beside the sofa and coffee table, and the other by the bed.


    The window connected to the study was on the side of the sofa. Yang Ming, sitting on the sofa to rest, looked towards the bed through the night-vision goggles and saw a raised arc that resembled the shape of a person.


    "Hey..." Yang Ming''s voice trembled as he spoke softly.


    "What now?" Tan Xiaohe, who was rummaging through the drawers in the coffee table, asked without lifting her head.


    "Look at the bed, doesn''t it seem like there''s someone lying there? Isn''t this master bedroom only upied by Mr. Guo? Didn''t their female host already pass away? And their son has his own room, right? And that person, they''re also already dead, aren''t they¡­" Yang Ming was bing increasingly incoherent.


    "Idiot, the butler had moved his master here from the dining room earlier," Tan Xiaohe said, making him feel like an utter fool on the spot.


    Yang Ming: "¡­"


    "Alright, don''t waste time here; you go check that wardrobe over there," Tan Xiaohe added.


    The system had said the task was to find the treasure in the manor, but it did not specify what the treasure was. Was it actual gold and jewels, a stack of cash, or some other cultural relic or antique?


    They had no choice but to search everywhere¡ªperhaps they would suddenly trigger the mission.


    Yang Ming looked at the wardrobe next to the bed, suspecting that this girl was doing it on purpose. He moved over slowly, trying not to look at the corpse on the bed.


    But sometimes, eyes have a mind of their own!


    Yang Ming nced fearfully at the body covered with a white cloth, nced at the body again, and then¡­ something seemed off?


    He moved closer and finally got a clear view of the slight protrusion on the white cloth¡ªit appeared to be a flower.


    "That old butler brought Mr. Guo in and even put a rose on top. Is their rtionship that special?" Yang Ming whispered to Tan Xiaohe, who was in the darkness.


    "What?" Tan Xiaohe paused, then immediately ran over to look.


    On the bed, where Mr. Guo was covered with a white cloth, at the position over his chesty a withered and decayed rose.

 Chapter 10: Chapter 10 There Really Is Something Out There

    The pitch-ck sky rumbled with thunder, apanied solely by lightning, with hardly any sign of rain.


    Miss Zhan turned and hurried back to the vi, her frightened heart pounding rapidly. Her trembling hands fumbled totch the door, as if this could somehow prevent any ghosts from entering.


    After all, the task had already beenpleted.


    Her hands, clutching the candle, wouldn''t stop shaking, and even after several deep breaths, her heart continued to race. Zhan Qian quickly walked back toward the hall.


    The high vaulted ceiling of the vi was shrouded in darkness, like an Abyss ready to devour anyone, and several times she wanted to turn the lights on but refrained.


    Zhan Qian turned toward the staircase, deciding to return to her room first to calm down, but then she remembered that next to her room, there was a corpse, and her lifting foot abruptly stopped.


    Why did she have to be in such a miserable situation...


    Zhan Qian stood at the foot of the stairs, silently pitying herself.


    Just then, a low and hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her, "It''s very easy to get hurt walking around in the dark like this."


    The raspy voice, even more sinister and terrifying in the darkness, was like that of an Evil Ghost summoning souls, sending a chill across her skin and plunging her into bone-chilling despair in an instant.


    Zhan Qian''s body broke out in goosebumps.


    She whirled around hastily to see who, or what, it could be.


    The faint light from the white candle revealed the silhouette of a figure standing erect in the middle of the corridor, half its face veiled in darkness, staring emotionlessly into her eyes.


    It wasn''t the white figure she had seen before, which caused Zhan Qian to breathe a sigh of relief, and her face, fraught with fear, rxed slightly.


    It seemed that the person opposite her was dressed all in ck.


    "I am sorry, Miss Zhan, I seem to have frightened you," the person spoke again.


    "The butler?" Zhan Qian asked hesitantly.


    "Yes, it''s me." The figure took a step forward,ing a bit closer, but perhaps sensing Zhan Qian''s nervousness, stopped without getting too near.


    By the light of the candle, Zhan Qian was able to see his face clearly and also noticed the shadow cast on the wall by the candle.


    It was then that Zhan Qian truly let her guard down.


    She may have been afraid of ghosts, but she was not fearful of a flesh-and-blood person.


    In the next moment, the previously panicked mysticist, once again, donned an air of grace andposure, nodding demurely to the butler as if the scared person from before was not her at all.


    Suddenly the butler asked, "Miss Zhan, why are you walking around outside sote?"


    Zhan Qian initially wanted to say she was looking for the bathroom, but after considering some things, she changed her answer, "Butler, you should know the purpose Mr. Guo had for calling me here. Even though Mr. Guo is now¡­ deceased, the task I was given, I will still fulfill it diligently."


    "Understood, thank you for your efforts," said the butler with a nod.


    "I just attempted to summon spirits in various parts of the vi and received some rather unsettling responses. This situation is moreplex than I thought," Zhan Qian continued in a gently persuasive tone,den with a mystic''s allure, "Butler, perhaps Mr. Guo''s death is rted to this matter."


    Upon hearing this, the butler''s previously calm expression shifted subtly, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "Miss Zhan, follow me, please. There are some things that thete master intended to show you."


    Had she triggered a clue?!


    Zhan Qian felt a small thrill of excitement, but she maintained her elegance, nodding in agreement, "Very well."


    She was eager to discover the secrets hidden within this manor.


    ¡­


    In the darkness, the butler expertly escorted her down the corridor, taking a left at the second hallway to the study.


    Intending to enter graciously, the butler pressed down on the doorknob, but the door did not open as expected, and his forward-leaning body nearly collided with it.


    He paused, then apologized, "I forgot the door was locked. The master usually does not like to lock the door; it must be the recent events that have made him somewhat tired."


    Zhan Qian, following behind him, acknowledged with a sound, "Is that so?"


    But inwardly, she grumbled, locking doors on one''s own turf, probably hiding from something, like that thing outside¡­


    As she pondered this, the butler had already found the key to the study from his pocket. The vintage bronze key was inserted into the lock, twisted, and then he pushed the door open.


    The two entered one after the other, with the butler turning on the lights in the study. Zhan Qian casually scanned the room''s arrangement but suddenly felt that something had shed past the edge of the window.


    She started slightly, then inconspicuously raised her hand to touch the cross ne she wore.


    The butler walked straight to the desk, his back to the window, and pulled out another small vintage bronze key from his pocket, squatting down to unlock the bottom drawer.


    As Zhan Qian approached, she took advantage of her height to discreetly peek out the window.


    The courtyard outside was pitch-ck, and upon a swift nce, she indeed spotted something surging in the dark at the far corner of the yard, a white figure flickering on and off.


    Damn! There really was something out there?!


    Zhan Qian quickly withdrew her gaze, struggling to maintain herposed expression. She looked to the butler, eager toplete the remaining tasks and then retreat to the safety of her nkets in her room.


    The butler produced a stack of letters from the drawer and handed them to her, saying, "These are the recent items the master has received."


    Eager to finish her duties, Zhan Qian flipped through them quickly yet gracefully, nearly trembling with shock as she did so, immediately frowning and asking, "When did he start receiving these?"


    "A month ago, every night they would appear. Moreover, along with these letters, there would also be a rose," sighed the butler. "Out of anger, the master eventually uprooted all the roses in the estate, but still, each night both a threatening letter and a rose continue to appear here."


    Upon hearing this, Zhan Qian instinctively nced outside.


    From their side, all the windows faced the outer courtyard, but during the daytime, she had seen nothing but lush, well-trimmed grass there, without a single flower to add color, drab and lifeless.


    So they had been uprooted before?


    "Is it Mr. Guo''s enemy, or is someone ying a cruel prank?" Zhan Qian ventured.


    The butler hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and whispered, "The master suspects it''s the formerdy, returning. She was very fond of roses, and the master even said he saw her specter wandering in the courtyard."


    "I didn''t believe in such things at first, but with the master''s spirits declining over this affair, that''s why we''ve asked for Miss Zhan toe over."


    Zhan Qian shuddered discreetly.


    Perhaps your master is not mistaken, as she too had just seen something.


    There truly seemed to be something strange in the yard; if you don''t believe it, you can look for yourself now.


    But if the ghost really is the deceaseddy, why would she write such chilling letters to Mr. Guo?


    From what she heard at the dinner table, Mr. Guo''s tone suggested that the couple had a good rtionship.


    As Zhan Qian pondered the letter with a furrowed brow, an idea struck her¡ªMr. Guo''s son, the depressive young man who seemed autistic.


    Perhaps¡­ this could be a case of aristocratic Resentment?

 Chapter 11: Chapter 11 The Knock on the Door at Midnight

    "This rose seems to have been picked and left for quite a while."


    Tan Xiaohe, not worried about leaving any fingerprints since they all wore gloves while searching for things, boldly picked up the decaying rose from the body to take a closer look.


    "To leave something like this... Could it be that the old butler had some unspeakable rtionship with his master?" Yang Ming''s mind wandered wildly, and then he suddenly frowned and muttered, "But that''s not right, there seem to be no roses nted in the yard..."


    "Who knows." Tan Xiaohe put the rose back, and even lifted the cloth to take another look at the corpse, resembling aplete psycho.


    In the night-vision goggles, the color of the corpse, its stiff and pale face, indeed filled one with a sense of horror.


    Yang Ming: "..."


    Tan Xiaohe felt under the pillow, found nothing, and disappointedly covered it back with the cloth, while saying, "Stop dazing around; let''s finish searching this room and leave before people in the next room notice anything."


    Yang Ming continued to search the wardrobe with a stiff expression, the pair not sparing even the pockets of the clothing.


    At that moment, Tan Xiaohe, who stood beside him, seemed to see something as she casually turned her head, and her eyes suddenly widened in shock.


    "Wha... what''s wrong?" His heart panicked.


    "He¡ª he¡ª he..." Tan Xiaohe pointed behind him but couldn''t get her words out.


    Behind him?


    Wasn''t that just the bed?!


    What was it that made this girl, usually into dark stuff, show a face full of terror and, for once,e close like a real girl?!


    At that moment, Yang Ming felt as if a heavy hammer struck his heart; a cold sense of dread rose from his spine to the top of his head, giving him goosebumps all over, as he turned his head fearfully to look back.


    In that instant, he thought of many things.


    Then he saw nothing.


    Yang Ming: "..."


    "Hahaha!" Tan Xiaohe suddenly burst into repressedughter, covering her mouth and shaking with uncontained mirth, her eyes gleaming with teasing humor: "Just kidding with you."


    Yang Ming, with a deadpan face: "Not funny at all."


    I wonder if he knows about the horror movie rule¡ªthe bad jokes usuallye true, what''s known as setting up a g.


    After Tan Xiaohe''s interruption, Yang Ming couldn''t help but nce at the bed every now and then as he searched, to see if the nted g could be removed.


    However, until they had searched everywhere in the master bedroom where something could be hidden, there was no rising corpse incident on the other side.


    Yang Ming breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed they weren''t in a horror movie set after all.


    "I want to go search the butler''s room too," Tan Xiaohe said somehwhat unwillingly as she nced at the task, suddenly speaking out.


    "You''re acting like a real thief..." Yang Ming said, slightly speechless: "I haven''t even looked at the data I just copied from theputer, there might be some information in there."


    "Then you go back and look at the data, and I''ll continue to search the butler''s room." Tan Xiaohe was still not giving up.


    It was already two or three in the morning, and they hadn''t found anything yet, nor did they have the time to search the entire manor, and the end time of this Scripted Murder Game was not specified.


    What if they dere the game over at dawn?


    Yang Mingforted her, "That won''t happen, the Scripted Murder Game usually ends after the truth is restored."


    "But if the truth can never be restored, we can''t possibly be trapped here forever, right? Don''t all Scripted Murder Games have a time limit?" Tan Xiaohe retorted.


    "..." That''s not necessarily the case.


    "Anyway, all we need to do isplete our tasks, who knows what the treasure will be, what if we identally miss it?" Tan Xiaohe continued, clearly dead set on searching through someone else''s room.


    Seeing her determination, Yang Ming sighed: "Then go ahead; I can at most keep watch for you. But let me be frank¡ªyou acting alone like this, you really resemble the first person to die in a horror movie."


    "Get lost!"


    Tan Xiaohe rolled her eyes and quietly opened the door a crack to peek outside. Seeing no one, she quickly slipped out, with Yang Ming close behind.


    The study''s lights were still on, and the door was half-open, casting a warm yellow glow into the hallway.


    Two figures walked silently along the wall, slipping by unnoticed. When they reached the corridor, Yang Ming pointed toward the study and then crouched in the corner.


    If this girl insisted on touching someone''s room, then he''d stand guard; watching for any activity from the study.


    Both were well aware that anyone daring to turn on lights in the middle of the night was none other than one of the vi''s upants, who also had the keys to the study. The identity of this person was obvious.


    Tan Xiaohe gave an OK sign and quickly ran off.


    The vi at night was incredibly silent, those deep in slumber could not imagine the undercurrents stirring outside at this moment.


    Yang Ming leaned calmly in the corner, lost in thought, seeing only a range of a mere two meters or so beside him through his night-vision goggles, beyond which the view faded into obscurity.


    He asionally checked on the study, but more often, his gaze surveyed other parts of the vi.


    If things went as expected, they likely weren''t the only ones skulking about at night. He just hoped that the others'' tasks didn''t conflict with their own.


    Otherwise, it would be quite unseemly to have a brawl.


    In the quiet darkness, only the murmuring sounds from the study could be heard. Yang Ming turned his head and suddenly felt he heard something else¡ªa very faint but familiar sound.


    This heightened sensitivity was precisely because he had been startled by such a sound earlier.


    "Click... click... click..."


    the sound came intermittently, in a peculiar rhythm, as if reflecting the emotions of whatever was making it.


    In the silent vi, the sound in the darkness became crystal clear in his mind.


    Wasn''t that the sound of someone continuously pressing on a door handle?!


    Yang Ming snapped to attention and quickly checked the nearby rooms, yet found no door handles being pressed down. No one had left the study either.


    He listened intently once more; the subtle noise was no illusion¡ªit continued.


    Could it be from somewhere else?


    Wait, Yang Ming suddenly looked towards the hall.


    They were actually quite close to the front door of the vi. Now that he had focused all his attention, it increasingly seemed like the sound wasing from over there.


    Continuously pressing on a door handle usually meant that someone on the outside wanted to get in but the door was locked.


    If it were helpers summoned by the butler, or a traveler lodging just like them, why wouldn''t this person ring the doorbell?


    Deep mountains, dead of night, thunderstorms, a sinister house, a creepy midnight knocking...


    For a moment, Yang Ming''s head was filled with scripted scenarios.


    He pressed his Bluetooth earpiece and spoke in a hushed tone, "Hey, how''s your search going?"


    "What''s up? Is there a situation?" Tan Xiaohe''s voice came through the earpiece.


    "In the middle of the night, someone''s messing with the vi''s door handle outside. I don''t think I can handle this¡ªlet''s pull out..."


    The manor owner''s sudden death, the decaying roses, and the Mysticist that had been brought in... Yang Ming didn''t want to delve further into what kind of Mutant Script this might turn into.


    Although he had never yed a Scripted Murder Game, his long exposure to the inte had given him quite an understanding of the game.


    Even though most Scripted Murder Games were rooted in logical reasoning based on reality, some incorporated surreal, bizarre, and mystical elements. These were called Mutant Scripts.


    In other words, this meant that it was possible to encounter ghosts.

 Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Hidden Truth

    ```


    "Tsk, is that little girl really so scared that she locked the door on me from the inside?"


    At the vi''s main entrance, Xu Shuo irritably pressed the doorknob several times. Even with the spare key, he couldn''t open it, which simply meant the door had been locked from the inside.


    This type of anti-theft lock did not have a keyhole and could only be opened from the inside.


    He had just seen Zhan Qian leave the house, and suddenly he wanted to see this woman''sposed facade crumble, so he stealthily appeared to give her a scare, and sure enough, she turned and ran away in terror.


    But now she had actually gone and locked the door!


    With a huff of annoyance, Xu Shuo tapped the doorknob to vent his frustration, then turned and headed to the back of the vi, where he located his room''s window and inserted his tools through a gap.


    All the first-floor windows had burr bars installed, so it was impossible to climb in, but he managed to scale up the wall using the window ledge.


    After mocking others for being Spider-Man, it wasn''t long before Xu Shuo himself was clinging to the wall, agilely climbing sideways, and using hooks and ropes to reach the second-floor room on the left.


    Xu Shuo tried to pull on the window, and, lo and behold, the thieves who had gone in hadn''t bothered to lock it, which made it convenient for him to climb through.


    Although the master bedroom had been searched, it appeared unchanged; the antique vases on the cab were all still intact, undamaged.


    After climbing through the window, Xu Shuo walked straight to the door without ncing to the side, opened it, and then walked out nonchntly.


    The light in the adjacent study was still on, and the door was slightly ajar. As Xu Shuo passed by, he took a casual look inside, where two people were whispering to each other, backs to the door, engrossed in a conversation that seemed tost an eternity.


    He turned and made his way lightly down the stairs, heading back to his own room.


    Xu Shuo changed out of the skirt and wig, and packed all the equipment he had used back into the box, though the lock on the box had already been smashed by him earlier and now it could only be closed.


    After wiping his fingerprints clean and tidying up any evidence in the room, he picked up the metal box and left again.


    In the silent and oppressive darkness, the young man moved unhindered through the night until he arrived at a door.


    Xu Shuo used the spare key to open the door, slipped in like a breeze, then smoothly closed and locked the door behind him, the whole act quieter than the rain outside.


    This was a servant''s room.


    The knockout smoke he had slipped in through the window before had taken effect, and the girl on the bed was sleeping soundly. Xu Shuo nced at her to make sure he had the right person before shoving the metal box deep under her bed, adding some camouge on the outside.


    He did not deliberately create any obvious ws; if the searchers didn''t find itter, no harm done.


    If they did find it, though¡­


    That was none of his business!


    While he could''ve easily destroyed all traces of his actions, providing some semnce of clues was a better arrangement than leaving them with nothing to find at all.


    Someone had to take the fall after all, and after nting enough evidence, it was time to muddle everyone''s vision.


    It was because he had another main task that could not be exposed.


    Xu Shuo swiped up the task panel to check it, and despite all he had done tonight, the progress bar under the Character Card advanced only a little bit.


    After all, for this character, the essence of his obsession was to bring the truth to light. The chef''s choice to make his move during tonight''s dinner was probably because he had his eye on the guests seeking shelter.


    Only a stranger would not care about this manor.


    And now, as a traveler entering the script, he has even more motivation to investigate everything.


    ```


    The truth behind the entire script had to be deduced from their hands.


    ...


    The drizzling rain outside had stopped, and the manor under the cover of nightfall hadpletely fallen into silence; ity dormant deep in the mountains, like a beast quietly awaiting its prey.


    Xu Shuo had left after putting away his belongings, but this time as he swaggered through the hall, he suddenly paused, lifting his head as if sensing something.


    Then, he saw a figure standing silently at the end of the hallway turning to the left¡ªsecond corridor; the person''s face, illuminated by the candlelight, seemed somewhat surprised. However, the angle of the candlelight also cast terrifying shadows across her face.


    For a moment, both were silent.


    Zhan Qian had merely nced downstairs casually on her way back to her room, after all, her room door was close to the passage, which faced the pitch-ck lobby.


    She truly was just idly looking!


    Then, all of a sudden, she saw a vague figure, and the next moment, the person she was staring at also looked up immediately.


    At that instant, Zhan Qian was so frightened her heart skipped a beat¡ªall she could think was "I''ve been discovered"!


    But then she realized there was nothing to worry about. Hadn''t she just been caught by the butler? What was more important was that she wasn''t doing anything guilty!


    She was a guest invited by the host family, after all!


    So Zhan Qian regained herposure, her expression returning to one of calm elegance as she looked at the shadowy figure in the darkness. But, after a short while, the person averted their gaze, as if they had not seen her, and turned to leave.


    Zhan Qian was perplexed and muttered to herself, "What was that about? So arrogant?"


    Prowling outside in the dead of night, and acting as if nothing was wrong upon being discovered. Zhan Qian didn''t intend to delve further into it at first¡ªafter all, she wasn''t the only one on a mission. But now she was extremely curious about who that person was.


    Unfortunately, there was no light on them, nothing could be made out clearly, and inplete darkness, how were they even navigating outside?


    Zhan Qian shook her head bemusedly, turned, and went back to her room, making sure to lock the door behind her.


    Having gained some information from the butler in the study just now, Zhan Qian sat on the bed and began to analyze, pulling out a notebook.


    What the butler said couldn''t be taken at face value, of course, but some inferences could still be made.


    For instance, suppose Madame Guo hadn''tmitted suicide due to depression, but due to some ident, which is why her restless spirit turned into a ghost wandering the manor.


    And if that was all true, and Mr. Guo''s source of depression was witnessing his own mother''s suicide, perhaps this led to him harboring hatred towards his father, resulting in a fa?ade of fatherly love and filial piety.


    Wait a minute... As Zhan Qian''s thoughts reached this point, they suddenly halted.


    If Mr. Guo''s mother was the reason for his depression, what was the reason for her depression?


    Could it be that a misunderstanding had arisen between two people in love?


    Zhan Qian frowned in deep thought, unsure whether the secrets within the manor were rted to Madame Guo''s suicide. In the end, she still needed to restore the truth of the entire script.


    She had coincidentallypleted the first mission, but why was this second mission proving to be so troublesome?


    Thinking of that white shadow which the system deemed aspleting the mission, Zhan Qian sneaked another peek outside the window. However, at this time, she saw nothing in the pitch-ck courtyard.


    The thunder and lightning outside had also ceased at some unknown point, and after midnight, it was the darkest time of the night. From afar, the manor seemed as if it waspletely swallowed by the boundless darkness.


    Anyway, she wasn''t going to dare to sleep tonight.

 Chapter 13: Chapter 13 Looking for the Murderer Requires Evidence

    ```


    After the darkest time before dawn had passed, a hint of pale white began to emerge on the horizon.


    Last night, nothing thrilling had happened, only imperceptible undercurrents flowed faintly.


    Quite a few people had not slept all night. Tan Xiaohe was halfway through checking the housekeeper''s room when she was called to stop, and upon returning, she promptly fell asleep, frustrated.


    Yang Ming, sitting on the floor, was looking through the copied documents. He had been reading them all night, and the whole person was a bit spiritually absent.


    His brain was just too heavy. Propping his head up, he was drowsy and struggling with an encrypted document, determined not to give up despite having decoded it for the better part of the night because he had a hunch that there was something important inside!


    When Tan Xiaohe woke up, the first thing she saw was the geek sitting against the wall, staring solemnly at the tablet but in fact, spaced out.


    "Hey!"


    She called out, and Yang Ming instantly snapped back to reality, as if waking from a deep dream, with a bewildered look on his face, "Huh?"


    Tan Xiaohe pulled a face, speechlessly saying, "Weren''t you reviewing the documents? Did you find anything?"


    Hearing this, Yang Ming fully regained hisposure, rubbed his sore eyes, and looking at the tablet screen still being decoded, said, "There is some data that is very well hidden, I''m still decoding it, but I should be close."


    "Aren''t you a geek? Howe you look like you can''t pull an all-nighter?" Tan Xiaohe got up and stretched, looking quite refreshed as she spoke.


    "I never pull all-nighters," Yang Ming yawned.


    Who said all geeks are night owls? Homebodies just don''t like going out, that''s all.


    Moreover, staying upte and pulling an all-nighter are two different things!


    "I''m going out then, you keep decoding," Tan Xiaohe tidied up the props fromst night''s Scripted Murder Game that they hadn''t managed to organize and then headed for the door.


    "Go on, and cover for me while you''re at it," Yang Ming said, massaging his temples.


    ...


    Dawn had broken, and after a night of rain, the air outside had be especially fresh.


    The vi''s main door was wide open. The morning sun and a gentle breeze blew in, making the atmosphere much morefortable.


    The servants in the manor had also risen early. They were all silently going about their work, their light movements matching those of the people who had wandered around in the middle of the night, carrying a sense of oppression.


    After Tan Xiaohe washed up and came downstairs, she saw two people eating breakfast in the dining room.


    The breakfast was prepared by Xu Shuo, using whatever ingredients were avable. Beside him eating was Zhan Qian, who had been too scared to sleep after being frightened by "ghosts", and came down early seeking food.


    "Good morning~" Tan Xiaohe lifted a sweet smile onto her face and greeted the two.


    Zhan Qian looked up at her, nodded gracefully, and continued to eat her breakfast with small bites.


    Tan Xiaohe took a seat next to them, sizing up the person beside her with careful eyes, and suddenly expressed her concern, "Sister Zhan, you seem a bit under the weather. Did you not sleep wellst night?"


    Zhan Qian''s movements paused: "..."


    She suspected this woman brought it up on purpose¡ªthe implications were all too clear.


    The owner of the body she was in had a good foundation; even after staying up all night, there were no dark circles under her eyes. Furthermore, she had put on makeup before going out, so she couldn''t possibly look that bad!


    The chef had justmented that she looked quite well-rested!


    Full of silentints, Zhan Qian maintained her cool exterior, and spoke indifferently, "Thank you for your concern, but I rested quite well."


    Hearing this, Tan Xiaohe sighed in relief and cheerfully said, "That''s good. The weather seems nice today. After the police arrive, we should be able to uncover quite a few clues. Sister Zhan, maybe then you can lead us straight to beating the game!"


    ```


    Zhan Qian was sure this girl was a little green tea, so she put down her fork and lifted an elegant smile, "Maybe, but sometimes even if you find the murderer, it doesn''t necessarily end there. Many people y the Scripted Murder Game not just for the sake of deduction to find the murderer, but to restore the whole story of the script, and that''s actually the essence of the game."


    Therefore, the system that brought them into this game world can end the Scripted Murder Game in any unpredictable way.


    Tan Xiaohe''s eyes flickered slightly, "Why didn''t Zhan mention this yesterday?"


    Zhan Qianughed, "After all, you''re all newbies who have never yed the Scripted Murder Game. Exining too much might not make sense to you. For example, there''s a type of game called Mutant Script..."


    "..."


    Sitting beside them, Xu Shuo saw the two women start to slyly probe each other for information and promptly slipped away after finishing his meal.


    As the estate''s resident chef, he still needed to prepare breakfast for the main house.


    Mr. Guo used toe down for his meal promptly at eight o''clock every morning, and although he was now gone, there was still an autistic young master to feed.


    When Xu Shuo arrived in the kitchen early in the morning, he found that someone had been there the night before.


    But in reality, unless they opened up the sewer pipe, they wouldn''t find anything at all.


    The simplest methods of murder are the least likely to be found out¡ªjust like the shy and wed techniques used by the Grim Reaper Elementary School students.


    Of course,mitting a murder under one''s own identity is quite stupid; it''s like forcibly pinning oneself as the prime suspect.


    If there were no tutorial for newbies, he''d prefer sneaking into Mr. Guo''s room in the middle of the night and finishing him off with one strike, at least that way he could survive a bit longer.


    Not to mention, so he wouldn''t be immediately targeted by that photographer.


    ...


    Then, as Xu Shuo was ready with the main house''s breakfast and pushing the cart towards the elevator, he bumped into the photographer he had just been criticizing in his mind.


    "Good morning, is this breakfast for the butler and Mr. Guo?" the photographer greeted him warmly.


    "Just for Mr. Guo. Yours is already prepared at the dining table," Xu Shuo replied, nodding normally as he turned his head to indicate the dining room.


    "Alright, thanks."


    "You''re wee."


    After exchanging pleasantries, they passed by each other. The photographer suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at the young man, just as the elevator doors were closing.


    The doors soon blocked his view, and the photographer''s smile faded. Rubbing his temples, he walked to the dining room, and only when he saw the two girls there did he bring back his warm and polite smile.


    He sat down and observed the two women, noticing Zhan Qian''s slightly gging spirits¡ªhe didn''t need to guess to know she had also stayed upte. The other girl, however, seemed to have slept well.


    In fact, he had also stayed upte, inspecting the kitchen, and had even tried to check the chef''s room.


    The door was locked, and as he expected, nobody was inside.


    The photographer noted down the people who had gone outst night, none of the task performers from outside had stayed quietly in their rooms.


    Still, he felt the chef was the most suspicious!


    In the process of deduction, if you first lock onto a target and then reverse reason from there, it makes things a lot easier.


    The photographer''s target was now the chef, so all his search directions started from the standpoint of "the chef is the murderer." The only thing hecked now was information.


    Hopefully, the police arrivingter could provide some useful help¡ªhe didn''t wish to fail the task.


    After all, he had a main task, which was [to find out who killed Mr. Guo].

 Chapter 14: Chapter 14: The Relation of Drying with Sauce

    Xu Shuo was pushing the meal cart out of the elevator when he happened to run into Miss Paintering his way.


    The sweet girl, dressed in a beige overall dress and wearing a beret, smiled at him, holding the painting prop book as if it were part of her being.


    "Good morning, are you going to deliver breakfast to Mr. Guo?" the girl asked after she greeted him.


    "Yes," Xu Shuo nodded, pushing the meal cart out of the elevator.


    "Then I''ll go with you," the girl said, hugging her painting book and quickly catching up to his side.


    Xu Shuo nced at her, said nothing, and Miss Painter looked at the breakfast on the cart before asking again, "Can I eat a bit first?"


    "Your breakfast is downstairs," Xu Shuo said.


    The girl turned and looked in the direction of the hall, her sweet face immediately showing a look of disdain, "Forget it, I really don''t want to go there now and watch that woman put on airs. I hate people who like to unt their sense of superiority the most."


    Xu Shuo didn''t speak; the underlying characters of these three women were truly unique, gics had blessed them with perfect appearances indeed.


    The two turned into the second corridor on the left, heading to that room at the deepest end of the corridor, emanating a sinister aura¡ªfeeling even more ominous than the master bedroom with the lying corpse.


    "Young master, I''ve brought you your breakfast," Xu Shuo said as he knocked on the door.


    But as always, there was no response. Such scenes used to y out every other day, requiring Mr. Guo himself to ask him toe and eat.


    But now, Mr. Guo was already dead.


    Xu Shuo pressed the door handle, but it was locked from the inside and wouldn''t open; he knocked several more times on the door.


    Alright, the procedure wasplete.


    Just go through the motions of the character''s plot, Xu Shuo didn''t continue to persuade the reclusive young man toe out and eat; he left the meal cart nning to hand over the task to the butler.


    However, at that moment, the girl beside him stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Mr. Guo, skipping breakfast is really bad for your stomach."


    Not long after her words fell, the door quickly opened with a click, and the slender young man with long hair and a morose demeanor looked at the person at the door, his pale lips pursed.


    He then turned to Xu Shuo, reaching out his hand toward the dining table.


    Xu Shuo pushed the meal cart a bit closer, and the young man directly pulled the cart into the room, then casually closed the door.


    "Girls really do have a powerful impact," Xu Shuo chuckled meaningfully, turning to leave.


    "I think so too," Miss Painter nodded in agreement, hugging her painting book and following along, "For people with severe depression, the reason they continue to live in this world is because there''s still a light."


    She said this with a bit of boastful pride.


    "Makes sense, so what are you trying to reveal to me?" Xu Shuo looked at her.


    "After all, this is a Scripted Murder Game world, not the real world we live in; I don''t want to be trapped here forever," the girl pouted.


    "Hmm, and then?" Xu Shuo remained calm.


    As the two walked down the stairs and towards the dining room, the girl looked at him and continued, "As far as I know, toplete a Scripted Murder Game, you must recreate the true story to the greatest extent possible."


    "Not to find out who the murderer is?"


    "But some Scripted Murder Games don''t even have a murderer, so what are you looking for? The real way to y should be to restore theplete story step by step while chasing the killer."


    The girl pondered and said, "Mr. Guo has been depressed because of his mother''s suicide, but actually, that''s not all there is to it. Regarding the reason for Mr. Guo''s death, I think he should know quite a bit. It would be better if you start your investigation with him."


    Her voice was neither loud nor soft, speaking as she walked, and thetter part was just caught by the three people at the dining table.


    The photographer immediately turned his head to look over, smiling genially, "What are you all talking about?"


    "We''re discussing the Scripted Murder Game, what about you?" Miss Painter pulled out a chair and sat down, eating her breakfast while looking at the other three.


    "Zhan is talking about the Mutant Script," Tan Xiaohe said with a smile.


    "Now that everyone''s here, let''s share some information. If we want to leave this world, we still need to finish this game," Zhan Qian said indifferently, not knowing what they had just been talking about, this woman unexpectedly subdued some of her arrogance.


    "Isn''t there one more person?" Miss Painter looked around and suddenly asked.


    There were six yers who entered the game, and taking advantage of this time, they could just review the script, except one person hadn''t arrived yet.


    Tan Xiaohe spoke as if nothing was amiss, "He slept on the floorst night, probably didn''t sleep well, so he crawled into bed to catch up on some sleep early this morning."


    Hearing this, several people looked at her, but had nothing to say.


    In the Scripted Murder Game, Yang Ming and Tan Xiaohe were a couple, so naturally, they were given the same room when they came to stay, but in the real world, whether they knew each other was a question.


    "Shall we start by sharing information? We''re all trapped in the same game, and in a way, we''re also allies. To leave this world, we need toe together and quicklyplete the script," the photographer said earnestly.


    "Sure, what I know is that Mr. Guo had a bad rtionship with his father because of his mother," the photographer said.


    To the photographer''s surprise, the first one willing to share information was the chef. The young man said ndly, "Also, after Madame Guo''s death three years ago, all the servants in the manor were reced."


    The photographer nodded thoughtfully, "It seems that there might be some mystery surrounding the death of Madame Guo."


    At that moment, the elegant Zhan Qian also followed up by saying, "Let me share the information I''ve got too. ording to the butler, Mr. Guo and his wife were very loving. The manor once nted a lot of roses for Madame Guo, but they were all uprooted a month ago."


    Tan Xiaohe scratched her head and embarrassedly said, "Wow, you all know so much, I don''t know where to start gathering information."


    She had finished tea for everyone present.


    Just as Miss Painter was about to roll her eyes, she continued, "However, Yang Ming told me yesterday that there seems to be something odd about the butler''s rtionship with Mr. Guo."


    "Odd in what way?" Zhan Qian nced at her.


    "It''s like there might be a..." the girl smirked shrewdly, "a rtion that''s a bit... hush-hush~"


    The four people present: "..."


    Xu Shuo drank a mouthful of water without showing any reaction. There was such a thing? As someone who had already obtained half the script, he had never noticed such an absurd situation.


    The photographer said somewhat awkwardly, "The butler and Mr. Guo have a significant age difference, so it''s probably not possible."


    Mr. Guo was in his prime, but the butler was already over sixty. It didn''t seem usible for them to have that kind of rtionship.


    Tan Xiaohe mumbled innocently, "I also think it''s impossible, but Yang Ming said so, and I don''t know where he got his information from. He said the butler sent roses to Mr. Guo, and they''re still on Mr. Guo now."


    "Cough cough!" Zhan Qian suddenly choked on her tea.


    "..." Xu Shuo nearly choked as well, and suddenly feltpletely unconcerned about the possibility of being exposed.

 Chapter 15: Chapter 15 Detective GM

    Miss ultist set down her teacup and elegantly covered her mouth with a tissue, her gaze casting over oddly.


    She knew better than anyone the origin of the rose, and if the butler wasn''t lying about this, then the rose shouldn''t have been given to Mr. Guo by the butler.


    And Tan Xiaohe also mentioned that Mr. Guo now has a flower on him?


    Thinking this through, Zhan Qian suddenly stood up with a stern expression, the chair screeching across the floor from the abrupt movement.


    Tan Xiaohe seemed startled, "What''s wrong?"


    Zhan Qian didn''t speak, looking unsettled as she made her way toward the staircase in the hall with long strides beneath her ck dress.


    But just then, the old butler suddenly came in from outside, "Miss Zhan? Good morning to all the guests, I hope you all slept well herest night?"


    He looked perplexedly at Zhan Qian, who seemed to be on her way somewhere, and then politely nodded and greeted the people following behind him.


    "Thank you for the hospitality, it was quite good," Miss Painter nodded in response.


    "Butler, has something happened?" Zhan Qian stopped, turning to ask him.


    "Here''s the thing, I''ve just received word that the police are on their way to the manor, so I came to inform the guests," the butler said politely.


    Upon hearing this, everyone showed various expressions, but regardless, the policeing over to help with the investigation was a good thing for them.


    The butler then turned to Xu Shuo and said, "Chef Zhang, please prepare a few more breakfasts."


    The police had been calledst night but were dyed due to the thunderstorm and the difficult mountain roads. They must have set off early today and it was only about eight o''clock now.


    "Okay," Xu Shuo nodded and turned back to the kitchen.


    "Miss Zhan, what happened just now?" the butler suddenly asked after he left.


    "It''s nothing, I just wanted to go check on Mr. Guo''s current situation," Zhan Qian hesitated before speaking truthfully.


    The butler lowered his head, "The police will be here soon."


    Zhan Qian nodded and said no more.


    The group returned to the living room to sit, and in the meantime, the butler inquired about another person''s condition, only to be brushed off by Tan Xiaohe with the excuse of not sleeping well because she was not used to the bed.


    Soon after, the butler received another message and stood up to go outside to meet someone.


    The police must have arrived. Tan Xiaohe waspletely indifferent, Zhan Qian frowned thoughtfully, the photographer seemed a bit eager, while the murderer in the kitchen was preparing breakfast as if nothing was amiss.


    Before long, the butler returned with a young man wearing a beige trench coat and a hunting hat, who walked in with a smile on his face.


    He certainly didn''t look like a policeman, and the butler''s expression seemed a bit off, too.


    "Hi there," the young man greeted, raising his hand to the few people on the sofa as he adjusted his cor and chuckled, "The heavy rainst night clogged the mountain roads with mud and rocks, so I was the only one who managed toe over beforehand."


    He probably wasn''t lying, as his trouser legs were covered in mud, leaving footprints with each step he took as he walked in, and he had some dirt on him, though the hat on his head was impably clean.


    Zhan Qian slightly raised her eyebrows, "Who might you be?"


    "You actually don''t recognize me?!"


    The young man raised his eyebrows too, suddenly leaning in close to her, pointing at himself with his thumb, and grinned, "I''m such a famous detective, you can''t tell me you''ve never seen me in the newspapers, have you? No way, right?"


    These days they don''t still rely on newspapers to spread news, do they? They can''t be, right?


    Maintaining her grace, Zhan Qian leaned back slightly to create some distance and spoke indifferently, "Sorry, I don''t usually pay attention to such news. Sometimes, even if I see it, I forget it."


    The young detective still huddled close, stroked his chin, and chuckled as he scrutinized her, "Is that so? I think I recognize you. You''re quite beautiful, so I couldn''t have forgotten you. Aren''t you that famous mysticist? I didn''t expect the affairs of this mansion to have drawn you in as well?"


    Upon hearing this, Zhan Qian was slightly surprised internally; in fact, the other yers beside her were also somewhat taken aback.


    They had not expected that these characters'' identities would actually exist outside as well; they had thought these were merely hollow roles created solely for the game''s script and that outside the mansion, they might be akin to people without an official identity.


    The butler spoke up at the right moment, "Mr. Gu, let me take you to change your clothes first."


    The detective straightened up, his gaze sweeping over each person sitting on the sofa, then suddenly paused, before he casually withdrew his gaze and smiled at the butler, "Thank you~"


    The two of them left quickly, leaving the four on the sofa with peculiar expressions.


    "So a detective has actually shown up, this plot really is quite interesting," Tan Xiaohemented, tilting her head as she watched the young man''s retreating figure.


    "He might be the GM," Zhan Qian, who had just been approached by the man, sat back down, somewhat displeased as she remarked, "In scripted murder games there''s usually a game master to control the scene, existing to guide the yers in solving the mystery."


    The game wouldn''t stay stuck in one ce forever; when the yers hit a dead end, that''s when the GM needs to step in to advance the storyline.


    Actually, as far as scripted murder games go, this plot is quite standard thus far: yers immerse themselves into their roles, the GM controls the whole scene, and now everyone has arrived.


    Tan Xiaohe nodded, "Is that so, but this GM seems quite frivolous."


    Zhan Qian rarely agreed with her, that kid had actually flirted with her just now!


    At that moment, the previously silent and inconspicuous Miss Painter suddenly said, "I noticed that when the detective discovered the photographer, his expression seemed a bit off. Could it be that you know each other?"


    As soon as she finished speaking, the three girls all looked that way.


    The photographer said, "hey," scratched his head in embarrassment, and said, "But, even if he knows me, I don''t know him. We don''t have the memories of the characters we''re ying, right?"


    "Exactly," said Zhan Qian, frowning, "Isn''t it very easy to get exposed if someone familiar appears in the script?"


    Running into someone your character knows¡ªsay they greet you, and you don''t recognize them¡ªany normal person would find that quite strange.


    After all, they were just yers there to solve the case; they couldn''t possibly be expected to act out interactions with characters from the script, could they?


    But the yer scripts given by the system didn''t specify any details; there was no mention of character traits or backstories. What a trap!


    ...


    Inside the kitchen, Xu Shuo, who had just activated his Character Card and received half of the script, looked at the retreating figure of the detective, lost in thought.


    This Detective Gu actually had a significant connection to the mansion.


    For some reason, in thest few years, he had been persistently requesting to visit Mr. Guo, but he had never been received by Mr. Guo.


    Even entering this mansion was only possible because he seized the opportunity toe with the police due to the events this time.


    More importantly, he seemed to have a potential connection with the "Zhang Shou" identity in that particr matter.


    He hoped the detective wouldn''t recognize him.

 Chapter 16: Chapter 16 Detectives Need to Be Cautious in What They Say and Do

    After the detective had changed his clothes ande out, the living room he''d stepped on was also tidied up. Although the butler didn''t like this person, he still maintained his manners and politely invited him to have breakfast.


    "I''ve eaten on the way here, but of course, if those beauties haven''t eaten yet, I wouldn''t mind having another serving~" The detective said with a brilliant smile, patting the only part of his hat that wasn''t dirty before putting it back on.


    "Butler, now that the detective is here, let''s go and check Mr. Guo''s condition," Zhan Qian said as she quickly got up.


    However, at that moment, the old butler''s expression showed some hesitation.


    Seeing this, the detective approached, giggling and said, "Don''t tell me, your master refused to see me while he was alive and now that he is dead you still won''t let me meet him? Besides, this time I''ve even got a search warrant~"


    He pulled out a police certificate from his pocket, which he had casually taken on the way over with the police.


    "The master did not like interacting with you." The butler nced at him coldly but still turned and headed for the stairs, saying, "Everyone, please follow me."


    The group followed him upstairs, with the detective leisurely trailing behind, somehow ending up next to the photographer.


    He measured up the photographer with a teasing look several times, causing thetter to helplessly give him a look before the detective finally spoke, "ording tost night''s police report, right before Mr. Guo had his ident, all of you just happened to be taking shelter in the manor due to getting lost, isn''t that right?"


    He emphasized the words "getting lost" heavily.


    The people walking in front stopped and looked back at him, not saying anything, but their gazes were meaningful.


    "Ugh, sounds like someone came specifically to kill Mr. Guo, eh?" The detective said with a mischief-loving smirk.


    "Mr. Gu, please do not disrespect the guests before the truth is uncovered," the butler said expressionlessly as he walked to the door of the main bedroom, pressing down on the doorknob and pushing the door open.


    "The butler is as much a gentleman as ever~"


    The detective made a sardonicment, but as soon as his gazended on the body on the bed, the smile on his face quickly faded, and he stepped forward briskly.


    The butler followed hastily, fearing the detective might do something to the master''s body, but he paused as he came closer.


    On the chest of the body covered by a white cloth,y a withered and rotting rose.


    The detective picked up the rose and sniffed it carefully, then pinched the petals with his fingertips, which were d in white gloves, and said, "It looks like this rose has wilted for over a month after being plucked, it must have been kept in a closed space previously, there''s a faint scent of rust. Butler, I didn''t realize you were so deeply attached to your master~"


    The detective was only serious for a moment before his remark took on a teasing tone again.


    The others listening found thement peculiar, and despite knowing it was impossible, they couldn''t help looking back and forth between the butler and the body.


    The butler, angered to the point of flushing red, gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Gu, as a detective, please be careful with your words! ¡ª¡ª This rose wasn''t here when Chef Zhang and I moved the master''s body, it must have been put here in the middle of the night."


    The detective put down the rose and lifted the white cloth, saying casually, "I''ve heard that someone often sent flowers to your master in the middle of the night, it looks like they''ve finally taken action. You should''ve let me investigate earlier, but you wouldn''t allow it, and now there''s no chance."


    The butler''s expression fluctuated, and he stayed silent. When his facepletely fell, it was as oppressive as the solemn Mr. Guo himself.


    After rummaging through the body for a while, the detective put away the magnifying ss he''d produced from somewhere and said thoughtfully, "Death by cyanide. Also, the rose has traces of a chronic toxin. Continually breathing these over a long period and then encountering cyanide ingested, would lead to immediate death. There would have been no time for resuscitation."


    Hearing this, Zhan Qian''s expression subtly changed, and she instinctively twisted her hand, casting a nce towards the butler.


    It was only after seeing the butler''splexion turn even worse that Zhan Qian rxed slightly.


    Because if the rose also carried a toxin, it might mean that there were problems with the letters, and she had directly touched them with her bare hands the night before.


    If the butler wanted to divert suspicion and use this to frame her for setting up the murder, there was simply nothing to say.


    She had indeed been too careless, next time she would have to learn from these people, to touch anything with gloves on.


    Tan Xiaohe, who had also looked through the letters and even turned over the roses and searched through three rooms, waspletely calm about it because she wore gloves!


    The detective looked over everyone present and then smiled and said, "Let''s start by telling me about the scene of the crime."


    The butler spoke in a steady voice, describing what happened at that time; he was standing right next to Mr. Guo and remembered something about everyone''s actions from the beginning of the meal.


    Then, the detective turned and walked out, "I''ll take a look in the kitchen, ording to your description, it would have been more convenient to act there."


    ...


    Xu Shuo was sitting in the dining room eating and ying with his phone, the breakfast had just been made and the guests didn''t eat it, so he took care of it himself in his free time.


    While ying, he suddenly looked up and saw that group of peopleing down the stairs toward this way.


    The detective wasn''t close yet, but he stared at Xu Shuo from a distance for a good while, then asked, "Were you the chef at that time?"


    Under the butler''s gaze, Xu Shuo silently put away his phone, set down the guests'' breakfast, and stood up with an honest and simple nod of his head.


    The detective looked him over again, said nothing, and turned into the kitchen.


    The kitchen wasn''t so big, it couldn''t amodate many people crowding in, so the others waited outside.


    While the other party was checking, Xu Shuo leaned in and asked, "How far along are you, can you finish the script today?"


    "We''ve just figured out the cause of the poisoning," Zhan Qian didn''t step forward, maintaining her elegant demeanor at the back, and spoke indifferently, "But this detective does have some skills, the GM''s entry should allow us to get more clues."


    Xu Shuo nodded, "Miss Zhan, as a veteran yer, should be able to make quick work of it once you have enough clues, right?"


    Zhan Qian naturally brushed her hair aside, "Of course."


    The detective was rummaging and inspecting in the kitchen, together with the photographer who was also particrly interested in this matter, but as a suspect outsider, he couldn''t touch much.


    The bowls and chopsticks used by Mr. Guo were set aside in a separate ce, still with food on them, and by now had started to emit a strange odor.


    The detective lifted the cling film, leaned in to sniff, "Indeed, cyanide was applied to the bowl, but unfortunately, time has passed, and now it''s impossible to distinguish when it was applied."


    He had just sniffed too many toxins, and now he was feeling a bit unwell, covering his nose and looking around at other ces.


    Then, his gaze fixed on the washbasin.


    "When can the police probably get here?" The photographer asked, seeing him look in that direction.


    "Due to andslide, the road is blocked for a long stretch, cleaning it up will at least take until noon, and the tools are all in the vehicles, people can climb over but can''t bring them along," the detective said, approaching and ncing at the clean washbasin, then suddenly turned to the photographer, eyes zing, and asked in a low voice, "Who do you think is the most suspicious?"


    "The chef," the photographer asserted.


    Even now, he still firmly believed in his instinct.


    The corner of the detective''s mouth lifted into a smile, "As a detective, one must speak and act with caution."

 Chapter 17: Chapter 17 The Manor Owners Criminal Evidence

    After investigating the kitchen, the detective''s expression was inscrutable. He then moved with the others to sit on the couch. The detective began to inquire about the stranded travelers who hade to seek shelter.


    "I''ve already met Miss Zhan," the detective said, lounging with one leg over the other, "but what about the rest of you? What brings you here?" he asked, spreading his hands to the few people opposite him.


    The yers quietly rolled their eyes. Tan Xiaohe said with an innocent look, "I really was just hiking with my boyfriend when we got lost in a thunderstorm. We happened to see this house, so we came here to stay."


    The detective raised an eyebrow and leaned in with a smile, "Little sister, you know - you shouldn''t climb up stairs you see in the forest, and simrly, when you see a house in the mountains, it''s best not to go in so casually~"


    His bizarrement left the girl stunned, but then the detective suddenly asked, "Right, where''s your boyfriend?"


    "He''s picky with beds. He didn''t sleep well all night and hasn''t gotten up yet," Tan Xiaohe muttered.


    "Eh~ is that so? He wouldn''t by any chance be hiding in his room doing something shady, would he?" The detective rubbed his chin with a strange smile that was incredibly irritating.


    Tan Xiaohe clenched her fist secretly; she smiled awkwardly but politely, "He''s really still sleeping, or else I would go wake him up now."


    However, the detective quickly waved his hand and shouted, "No, no, no, there''s no need for that. I wouldn''t want to be inhospitable and deprive someone of sleep."


    Tan Xiaohe twitched the corner of her mouth and no longer wanted to deal with him. He didn''t seem like a proper detective at all.


    Apart from the mysticist who had been invited, the reasons the others gave for their stay sounded reasonable at first but strange upon further thought. However, after hearing their self-defenses, the detective didn''t make any judgments.


    He slightly bowed his head, tapping his hat with a magnifying ss as if in thought.


    After a while, he stood up suddenly, saying that the manor''s servants hadn''t yet been questioned, especially the maid who had taken Mr. Guo''s bowl.


    The butler led the way with an expressionless face to find the maid, and the photographer, who had also been in thought, rose to his feet, "I''ll help too, don''t worry, I won''t touch anything else."


    The detective smiled indifferently, "Sure, thedies cane along too~"


    Unfortunately, the three girls had no desire to follow. Tan Xiaohe''s task was only to find the treasure. As for reconstructing the plot, that was best left to the professionals.


    Zhan Qian showed no reaction, as she was also lost in her own thoughts.


    Miss Painter said lightly, "If there''s nothing else at the moment, I''d like to paint in the courtyard. The scenery here is quite nice."


    As she got up to leave, Zhan Qian suddenly looked up at her and then stood up to follow, seeming to have something to discuss with her.


    Suddenly, the only person left on the couch was Tan Xiaohe. She nced over to see the chef yer ying with their phone and eating the breakfast meant for the guests, seemingly the most rxed person in the whole game.


    The photographer''s eager truth-seeking might have had something to do with his task.


    Zhan Qian, though mysterious in her demeanor, didn''t prevent spection that her task might also involve reconstructing the plot and uncovering some truth.


    The yer with the painter persona was even more peculiar, saying little from the start but seemingly knowing quite a bit about the manor''s affairs.


    Tan Xiaohe stared at the chef, thinking that if there was a murderer among the yers, he seemed like a likely suspect.


    Because only the murderer would want to do nothing but cover up the fact that he was the murderer.


    After all, the murder had already taken ce.


    But then, what did that have to do with her task?


    At that thought, sheid back on the couch facing the dining area and called out, "Hey!"


    Xu Shuo looked up with a puzzled expression.


    "As a chef, do you hear any rumors, like about a treasure hidden in the manor or something?" Tan Xiaohe asked, blinking her eyes.


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo pointed outside the vi and said, "I''ve never heard about any treasure, but there is actually a basement in the courtyard, which is a wine cer."


    Tan Xiaohe paused, narrowing her eyes slightly, "You''re really telling me this?"


    "We''re all teammates, what can''t we talk about? Besides, a wine cer isn''t a secret." Xu Shuo, while eating shrimp dumplings, said casually, "But I didn''t expect you to have an interest in exploration?"


    "This big old manor, set up in a ce with no vige in front and no shop behind, three years ago Mr. Guo inexplicably fired all the servants and hired a new batch; now he suddenly dies out of the blue, don''t you wonder if something valuable is hidden here?"


    "Murder for profit? You might find it more persuasive to think it was a crime of passion."


    "Did the butler kill Mr. Guo over money or love?"


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    He felt that there was no need tomunicate with this girl who''s thinking was extremely erratic. Anyway, he had already given away the location; useful or not, she would probably go take a look.


    What he was more worried about now was whether the detective could find the iron box.


    ...


    At this moment, in the maid''s room¡ªsince the butler had gone out to find someone¡ªonly the detective and the photographer were present.


    The detective looked around the neat room, searched casually for a while, then, unselfconsciously, sat on the girl''s bed and said, "You didn''t infiltrate the manor this time to investigate the incident from three years ago, did you?"


    The photographer hesitated, then responded indifferently, "Yes, I am quite concerned about that matter. Although Mr. Guo has concealed it well, it doesn''t stop him from being the prime suspect."


    "Actually, concerning Mr. Guo''s case, we''re just short of evidence. His group has been failing for a long time; as soon as we present the evidence, we could immediately arrest him." The detective stroked his chin and said, "There are many people from the police force here this time, and they actually n to thoroughly investigate this manor."


    "Too bad, he''s already dead."


    The detective ended with a disdainful "tsk."


    For a detective, catching a hidden criminal is their pursuit, not waiting for the truth toe out after the criminal is long gone.


    There''s no sense of aplishment in that.


    The photographer didn''t reply, pondering silently. The reason he could keep up with the detective''s conversation was that his other assignment was: [Find evidence of the manor owner Mr. Guo''s crimes].


    Now, from the detective''s few words, the photographer roughly guessed his own identity¡ªan undercover detective in the manor.


    No wonder he disguised himself as a photographer. Was it because carrying a camera made it easier to store evidence?


    And indeed, the task he received was very much in line with a detective''s role.


    "Hey, hey¡ª"


    The detective''s voice rang in his ear. The photographer snapped back to reality, only to hear him say, "What are you daydreaming about, Yao An? Did you find anything in your investigation here?"


    Upon hearing this, the photographer thought for a moment; he had already figured out his role name.

 Chapter 18: Chapter 18: The Tin Box

    "This matter may be rted to a case from three years ago," said the photographer, counter-questioning. "Speaking of which, how much do you know about Madame Guo?"


    "She was a very gentle and delicate beauty," the detective stroked his chin, his face full of admiration before he added, "However, before she took her own life, there was a period when she became quite mad, which is when I met her."


    As a detective well-known far and wide, Detective Gu had worked on many cases. Madame Guo had contacted him three years ago, babbling some strange words, and not long after, shemitted suicide.


    The photographer paused, "What words?"


    The detective spread his hands, "Words like, ''Such a demon should go to hell, but I can''t do it.''


    After finishing speaking, he appeared somewhat regretful as he sighed and said, "Madame Guo probably wanted to ask me for help at the time, but before I could learn more, she had already taken her own life. Afterwards, Mr. Guo''s case broke out, but there was no evidence at all, and Madame Guo did indeed kill herself."


    So what exactly was the case?!


    The photographer really wanted to ask, but feared that asking directly would break character, which could lead to some penalty by the system.


    "However," suddenly, the detective''s tone changed, and he said, "A year ago in this mountain, another case simr to the one three years ago urred, so for the past year, I''ve been trying to visit the manor, wanting toe in and investigate, but I haven''t been sessful."


    "Come to think of it, the time when Mr. Guo was murdered seems quite close to when that girl went missing," the detective said thoughtfully.


    Upon hearing this, the photographer blurted out, "Which girl?"


    "Huh?" The detective paused, then asked, "Don''t you know about the missing case?"


    "I''ve been busy with other things afterwards and haven''t paid much attention to this case, I might have missed it," the photographer said casually.


    "Is that so." The detective responded nonchntly, not inquiring further about his business, and took out his phone to open the gallery.


    The detective''s phone was filled with photos of various deceased and also information on many criminals; he scrolled for quite a while before he found the record from a year ago and handed him a picture of a young woman.


    The girl in the photo looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a very sweet smile.


    The detective exined amenably, "The girl''s name is Zhang Ya; she had just finished her college entrance examsst year and went missing while hiking this mountain with friends. Only her blood traces and personal belongings were found halfway up the slope, but the person herself has never been found to this day."


    As he spoke, the detective paused, then offered a mysterious smile, "This mountain is known to consume people."


    Even the legends of the mountain consuming people somehow made it more famous, and it led to more touristsing to visit than before, which, when you think about it, is quite ironic.


    The photographer listened quietly, roughly guessing the case from three years ago, then tentatively asked, "Including her, how many people have gone missing these years?"


    The detective thought for a moment, "Eight people went missing one after another three years ago, all young women. Then it quieted down until the case resurfaced a year ago; now there are nine people missing. ¡ª¡ªI really don''t understand what those people see in this mountain. Are theying to admire the girls'' funerary images?"


    He finished with a sarcastic remark.


    "Do you have photos of the other eight people?" the photographer asked.


    "I say, have youe to investigate this case without doing any homework at all? That really isn''t like you," the detective suddenly gave him a strange look.


    "I received the assignment at thest minute," the photographer remained calm, saying, "I''ve actually stopped being a detective."


    "Is that so, no wonder I seldom see you active nowadays," the detective raised an eyebrow and sent over the photos of the other victims to him.


    The photographer looked at the photos of the other missing individuals, but in the end, he focused his attention mainly on the girl called Zhang Ya.


    While he was lost in thought, the detective sitting on the girl''s bed shook his leg and suddenly felt something hollow beneath it.


    He looked down and saw that the long bedsheet wasid all the way to the ground, covering in such a way that it was usually hard to associate it with the possibility of emptiness underneath the bed.


    Thinking of this, the detective felt a sudden impulse to bend down and take a look under the bed.


    Meanwhile, the photographer, after staring at the photo of the girl for a long while, suddenly had a sh of inspiration pop into his mind. He turned to the detective, eager to share his thoughts, only to see the young man lying on the ground, half his body squeezed under the bed.


    He seemed to be dragging something out, his hands reaching inside while slowly shifting his body to crawl out.


    "Lend me a hand!"


    The photographer squatted down and pulled his legs to drag him out, and out came an iron box along with the detective.


    "What''s this?" he blinked in surprise.


    Equally stunned were the butler, who had just called the maid over, and the maid herself.


    Still lying on the floor, the detective looked up, and for a moment, all four people present fell silent.


    The maid was the first to react. With a pale face and in a terrified voice, she eximed, "Wait! This, this isn''t mine, I''ve never put anything under my bed!"


    She knew that because of Mr. Guo''s death, the mansion was screening for suspects and suspicious items, and as the maid who served Mr. Guo his utensils at that time, she had already been ced high on the list of prime suspects.


    Being already scared because of this, she was now even more frightened as a suspicious item had been found in her room!


    On the verge of tears, the maid pleaded, "Butler, you must believe me, this really isn''t mine!"


    The butler, with a stern face, remained silent, but the coldness in his eyes made the maid shiver with fear.


    At that moment, the detective got up and gave her a radiant smile, saying, "Don''t worry so much, sister. Whether it is yours or not, we will investigate thoroughly. Now, let me see what''s inside this box, is that alright?"


    The maid, shrunken, said, "It''s not mine... You can look if you want."


    The detective smiled, nced at the lock on the box, his eyes flickering subtly, then opened the box straightaway.


    Lying inside was a neatly folded white dress, slightly damp. After taking out the dress, he also saw a pair of white gloves and a long ck wig underneath it.


    The butler saw these items and paused for a moment. His expression shifted between confusion and contemtion, and finally, he cast a meaningful look at the maid standing beside him.


    This look caused the maid to burst into tears, babbling incoherently, "It''s really not mine, I don''t know where it came from, I really didn''t..."


    The detective sniffed the dress and detected a faint rotting rose scent.


    He mused, "It might indeed not be hers. When I crawled under the bed just now, there was a lot of dust, but only one fresh trail, as if someone had only recently stuffed the item there."


    Upon hearing this, the maid breathed a sigh of relief, but before she could fully rx, the detective added, "Of course, we can''t rule out that you might have deliberately created this false impression."


    At that, the girl''s tears fell once again.


    The detective, usually fond of teasing girls, didn''t look her way this time. He caressed the dress, deep in thought.


    If this box really wasn''t the maid''s, then who put it there?


    More importantly, why would someone hide the box in such an obvious ce? It was unquestionable that the maid, being the prime suspect, would be searched. Yet, if it was meant to frame her, such a move with many ws was too shallow.


    Unless, the person deliberately ced it there to convey some message to them?

 Chapter 19: Chapter 19 Have you seen a ghost?

    Outside the vi, the girl hugged a sketchbook as she sat in the pavilion, facing the pebble path not far away. Her brush stroked across the page, suggesting she was truly painting.


    After Zhan Qian emerged, she took a seat on the wicker chair next to the girl.


    Miss Painter nced at her, then disdainfully turned her head away, her painting motion uninterrupted.


    Zhan Qian, undisturbed, crossed her legs and adjusted her long dress, maintaining a noble and elegant posture. She said softly, "You seem to be familiar with Mr. Guo?"


    "Does an experienced yer really need to ask for information from a beginner like me?" the girl cast a nce at her.


    "Gathering clues is the most important process in a Scripted Murder Game. Different yer characters have different scripts, and naturally, the clues they obtain will vary. I need to collect these clues," said Zhan Qian lightly.


    As she spoke, she looked at the girl''s drawing.


    The pencil sketched a corner of the courtyard, with the figure of a gardener bending over to tend to the flower bed just appearing at the end of the pebble path.


    Zhan Qian looked up, but there was no gardener opposite them. If the painting were to be realistic, it was quite unsettling.


    Moreover, Zhan Qian knew that there might indeed be ghosts in the estate, so the hand resting on her waist unconsciously gripped her skirt a bit tighter.


    She couldn''t help but say, "There''s no gardener over there."


    Miss Painter slowly filled in the gardener''s figure, saying casually, "The mind of the person painting houses mountains and rivers. What does it matter if there''s no gardener? I can even draw flowers without any."


    As she spoke, the girl, as if stubbornly, moved her pencil and swiftly added a few roses to the edge of the flower bed.


    Zhan Qian''s mouth twitched slightly, then she heard the girl continue, "Instead of inquiring with me, you might as well ask him directly. I think, being Mr. Guo''s son, he might know everything."


    "Knowing is one thing; whether he tells us is another," Zhan Qian remarked. "No matter the story, the truth is always buried in secrets."


    Hearing this, the girl suddenly stopped painting and raised her head to look at Zhan Qian with an ambiguous gaze.


    Zhan Qian was slightly perplexed by the look but continued to press, "So what clues did you manage to gather from Mr. Guo? I suspect this incident is rted to Madame Guo, and it seems Mr. Guo has some estrangement from his father due to his mother. To reconstruct the truth of the story, I am still missing many clues."


    "You''re not wrong with your guess."


    The girl returned her gaze to her painting and continued, "Mr. Guo drove his wife to death, and all of this was unfortunately witnessed by Mr. Guo, who then fell into depression."


    "For what reason?" asked Zhan Qian urgently.


    At that moment, she suddenly saw a middle-aged man dressed as a gardener, holding a hoe, appearing at the corner of the courtyard.


    He seemed to have been tending to the front garden, making his way slowly toward them. His trousers were smeared with mud, and now he was pressing down the soil in the flower bed with a serious face.


    Zhan Qian nced again at the girl''s drawing.


    Miss Painter, without even looking up, continued to paint and speak, "I''m not sure about that. Madame Guo seemed to have gone mad over something at the time andmitted suicide after an argument with Mr. Guo."


    Zhan Qian looked at her, "Are you really clueless?"


    "What can a beginner like me find out?" the girl also looked at her, a sneer forming at the corner of her mouth.


    "If you want to sell yourself short, there''s nothing I can say," Zhan Qian also mocked lightly.


    "Pfft, as if you''re so superior," the girl retorted.


    Before they could have a proper conversation, they started bickering inexplicably.


    After exchanging a few barbs, Zhan Qian gracefully closed the topic. She looked at the gardener who was nowpacting the soil and suddenly asked loudly, "Gardener, what are you doing?"


    The gardener who was digging the soil heard the shout and became flustered as if frightened. He looked around hastily and then spotted the pavilion with the two girls sitting there.


    The gardener nced over and quickly looked away, his voice moderate, somewhat deep: "It rained heavilyst night. The soil in the garden is loose; I''m pressing it down."


    Zhan Qian narrowed her eyes slightly; she found the gardener''s reaction to be very strange, as if he had been guilty of something.


    She stood up and walked straight over to him.


    Noticing her approach, the gardener''s face suddenly became very tense.


    He quickly looked down and shuffled through the muddy soil, pushing many of the broken branches underneath.


    Zhan Qian nced around casually before asking, "Gardener, how long have you been working on the estate?"


    The gardener turned his head, ignoring her.


    Zhan Qian feigned confusion, "What''s the matter, can''t you say? Actually, I could go ask the butler as well."


    "For over three years..." the gardener muttered softly.


    "I see. I heard Mr. Guo used to nt a lot of rose flowers for the formerdy here, but unfortunately, they were all removedter for some reason. Were you looking after those flowers before?" Zhan Qian asked as if casually.


    "..."


    The gardener stayed silent and didn''t speak.


    All he did was bury his head and use his hoe to press the broken branches into the mud. The grass plot had be quite muddy after the rain. While he was turning the soil, some mud sshed out identally.


    Seeing this, Zhan Qian immediately stepped back to avoid dirtying her long skirt, watched the gardener who really didn''t want to say anything, then turned around and went back.


    The girl who was paintingughed scornfully when she saw Zhan Qian return without sess.


    Zhan Qian didn''t respond and took another look at her painting.


    At the end of the stone path, the gardener was swinging his hoe as if turning the soil, and the rose flowers that adorned the edge of the grass plot had also been captured in her painting.


    Suddenly, Zhan Qian remembered the white figure she had seen at the windowst night.


    She looked up¡ª


    This was the backyard of the vi; turning left at the second corridor, the windows of the rooms all faced the front yard, but indeed, from that side, one could see the corner of the courtyard to the back.


    Moreover, on closer thought, that figure seemed to be near the edge of the grass plot.


    If...


    Just as she was thinking this, amotion suddenly came from the front yard, followed by the frivolous detective walking around the corner, who also seemed to be observing the grass plot.


    The photographer and the butler were following behind him. The gardener, who had been tending to the grass plot, became very flustered when he saw them.


    "Gardener, what are you doing here?"


    The approaching detective asked with a smile, echoing the same question Zhan Qian had asked earlier.


    The gardener hung his head and stole a cautious nce at the butler behind him, murmuring, "It rained heavilyst night, and the soil in the yard has be very loose. I came over to tidy it up."


    "What''s there to tidy up? The nts are all subjected to the elements, and moreover, you don''t even have any flowers here. Come on, step aside."


    The detective said, and he pulled the flustered gardener out of the grass plot and then stepped into it himself.


    He had just put on new shoes, which were now covered with mud.


    The detective squatted down to examine the grass plot and his gaze suddenly sharpened. He stared at the gardener, "Did you turn over all the soil along this path?"


    The gardener nervously said, "Some branches were broken, and the grass des and roots were stuck inside. I''m tidying those up."


    "Did you see any footprints in there just now?" the detective continued to ask.


    "What... What footprints?" the gardener posed a surprised expression.


    Yet, the detective was staring at him with an inscrutable gaze, causing the gardener to break out in a cold sweat.


    At that moment, Zhan Qian had already made her way back over and asked curiously, "What happened?"


    Turning to her voice, the detective looked at her again.


    After observing for a while, the young man suddenlyughed strangely, "Miss Zhan, as a mysticist, did you see any ghostsst night?"


    Zhan Qian: "..."


    ...

 Chapter 20: Chapter 20 Suddenly Completed the Task

    Why ask that question of all questions!


    In an instant, Zhan Qian''s expression also became somewhat strange. She looked at the detective and said, "As a detective who likes to pursue practicality, why would Mr. Gu ask such a question? Do you believe in these things too?"


    "So you mean you are fake?" the detective countered.


    "..." Zhan Qian tugged at the corner of her mouth, nced at him coolly, and said, "Mysteries are beyond words; if you believe, then believe, if not, let it be."


    The detective smiled, a smile that begged for a beating, but he did not continue the discussion on this topic. He had simply taken a sudden whim to tease the beauty.


    He walked out of the grassy mound, dusting the dirt off his hands, and turning to the butler, said, "I heard that a month ago, Mr. Guo pulled out all the roses he had nted for the formerdy because someone sent him roses and threatening letters in the middle of the night. Now it seems this is true."


    The butler''s face turned ugly: "Mr. Gu, I would like to know how you found out about this?"


    "A detective''s informationwork is very broad; there''s hardly anything I don''t know about," the detective tapped his hat and gave the butler a somewhat meaningful look, then added, "While I don''t care one bit about your master''s rtionship with hisdy, now that it''s your master who is in trouble, butler, are you still unwilling to reveal those secrets you''re hiding?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about, Mr. Gu. You are here today to investigate the cause of our master''s death, and I hope you will stick to your role," the butler said darkly and, not wishing to stay any longer, turned and left the courtyard.


    Seeing this, the gardener who had been standing on the side, shrinking back, seemed even less willing to stay with this group of people and hastened to follow the butler out.


    The detective shrugged as he watched them leave.


    Upon seeing this, Zhan Qian asked thoughtfully, "Mr. Gu, have you found out anything?"


    "A beautiful little white dress, which should suit Miss Zhan''s figure quite well," the detective said, smiling and sizing her up with his eyes.


    Zhan Qian had a tall stature, over one meter seventy, and the ck hip-hugging mermaid long dress outlined her figure very gracefully.


    Upon hearing this, Zhan Qian rolled her eyes elegantly and said, "Could you please be more specific?"


    The detective smiled, "Mysticists probably all like toe out at midnight, don''t they? Miss Zhan, you were invited to the manor to investigate, did you really not see anythingst night?"


    "What exactly are you trying to say?" Zhan Qian asked with a slight frown.


    "We found a white long dress in the maid''s room. The hem was a bit wet and had mud on it; it seems to have been in contact with roses." The one speaking was the photographer who was investigating with the detective. He continued in a steady voice, "The person who killed Mr. Guo might have used those items for something."


    For instance, sending Mr. Guo a threatening letter in the middle of the night, along with some roses, and even the decaying rose ced on Mr. Guo''s body that was found this morning was likely left there by the same personst night.


    Zhan Qian''s eyes widened slightly as she instinctively pulled up her task panel to look at it, and thatpleted Task One suddenly seemed particrly ring.


    If the system cannot make mistakes, then that thing she sawst night was indeed a "ghost," but if all of this was really someone disguising themselves...


    The system was ying a word game with her!


    And it made her treat the whole Scripted Murder Game like a Mutant Script!


    Zhan Qian rubbed her forehead, recalling the scene she witnessedst night of the "ghost." The white figure indeed stood in the courtyard, and she could be sure that the person had already noticed her.


    Perhaps they even let her discover them on purpose.


    The person left the vi through the main gate, someone who was staying in the vi at the time, or perhaps just to ce a rose in the master bedroom.


    Later, when she talked with the butler in the study, she saw the white figure still in the courtyard. When she returned to her room and looked again, it was gone, but before that¡ª


    The figure that appeared in the hallway!


    Zhan Qian fell silent, suddenly regretting why she hadn''t burst out with social boldness at the time, brazenly turning on the corridor lights, so she might have seen more clearly who was in the hallway.


    It wasn''t like her to feel she had been blind then.


    "Miss Zhan? Miss Zhan¡ª"


    The detective''s exaggerated shout rang in her ears, and Zhan Qian quickly came back to her senses, retreating a step with disgust.


    "Miss Zhan, from the look on your face, you must have remembered something," the detective said with a chuckle, not caring in the slightest, "Could you tell me about it?"


    "Yes, I saw Madame Guo''s wandering spiritst night," Zhan Qian said.


    As her words fell, the photographer beside her showed a confused expression. He was about to say something, but the detective cut in with augh, "So, did Madame Guo convey anyst wishes to you?"


    Zhan Qian looked at him, calmly stating, "She wishes the truth about what happened back then woulde to light."


    As she spoke, she paused, ncing at the lush grassy area once more and added, "So many roses, what a pity to pluck them; it seems Mr. Guo didn''t love his wife that much after all."


    After finishing, Zhan Qian turned and left, her expression no longer as rxed as it was at the beginning.


    The photographer looked at her retreating figure, then turned to the muddy, disheveled grassy area and asked in a low voice, "How much longer until the police arrive?"


    "They haven''t responded to me yet; it could be a while longer," the detective shrugged.


    If the police weren''t here, even if they wanted to dig up the entire grassy area right now, they probably wouldn''t be able to do it.


    The detective looked around the courtyard and then saw a girl quietly painting in a pavilion not far away. Despite themotion here earlier, it didn''t seem to have affected her.


    Past the pavilion and around the corner, a sleek figure opened the door and walked into the storeroom attached to the vi.


    The detective paused, "What is that ce again?"


    He seemed to be asking the photographer, but it also seemed like he was just talking to himself. After saying that, he headed directly toward the ce, looking up at the girl''s painting as he passed the pavilion. After a nce, he continued on his way to the storeroom.


    The photographer lingered slightly, looking at the artist girl''s painting, and suddenly said, "Do you really know how to paint?"


    After all, they were all outsiders who had suddenly entered this game called Scripted Murder Game, given a role, and forcibly began to do what that role entailed.


    But as a photographer, he really didn''t know how to take pictures.


    The girl stopped drawing, turned her head and smiled at him, "Isn''t this the kind of thing anyone can do with hands?"


    The photographer looked at her silently.


    On the painting, the grassy area waspletely colored with roses, and a man resembling a gardener stood amidst them, swinging a hoe. The pencil''s varying shades of ck and gray sketched out a somber scene.


    ...


    In the storeroom next to the vi''s courtyard, Tan Xiaohe opened the door and peered inside to see a neat stack of work tools.


    She was looking for the entrance to the wine cer when suddenly, a system notification echoed in her mind, "Congrattions onpleting the task: Steal the Manor Owner''s treasure."


    Tan Xiaohe: "???"


    What? What had shepleted?


    She stood there dumbfounded, looking at the humble room filled with brooms, shovels, hoes, watering cans, and the like, feeling utterly baffled and perplexed.


    What kind of treasure was this supposed to be?


    More importantly, it seemed she hadn''t even taken anything yet.


    ...


    In a guest room on the second floor of the vi.


    Within the locked room, Yang Ming slept against the wall on the floor, drooling, while the tablet he was holding showed the screen "Unlocked."

 Chapter 21: Chapter 21 Cause of Death

    "It really wasn''t me..."


    On the living room sofa, the maid just brought out, was now cowering in a corner, her face a picture of panic and fear, murmuring quietly under her breath.


    After finishing his meal, Xu Shuo nced at her and got up to walk over.


    "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.


    "Ah!" The maid, as if startled, looked up and only rxed slightly upon seeing it was not the butler, and then her face fell again as she stifled a sob.


    Xu Shuo sat down beside her and said gently, "I saw there was a bit of amotion over there, could it be that the butler thinks you are the one who killed the master?"


    The maid''s room had been sealed off, leaving her no choice but to wait outside for the investigation. Upon hearing this, she hastened to shake her head: "I didn''t! I''m not! That thing wasn''t mine at all!"


    Xu Shuo asked in confusion, "What thing?"


    "I, I don''t know..." the maid whispered, "They found suspicious items in my room, but they are not mine at all, I really don''t know how they got there, I didn''t kill the master, I..."


    "Alright, calm down, I''m not suspecting you," Xu Shuo reassured her, a hint of helplessness in his voice.


    The maid pursed her lips and looked down, nervously twisting her fingers. Every now and then, she cast a nce toward the courtyard, fearing the detective would finish investigating and immediatelye over to point her out as the murderer.


    With physical evidence present, the maid, experiencing such an ordeal for the first time, didn''t know what to do. She was the one who had handled the master''s bowl, and she was the one with suspicious items found near her.


    If she weren''t truly innocent, she might even start to suspect herself.


    Regrettably, there were no surveince cameras in the manor, otherwise, she wouldn''t feel so intensely anxious.


    Xu Shuo offered her a few words offort: "Don''t worry so much, I''ve heard about Detective Gu. His investigative skills are formidable; he will surely clear your name."


    The maid nodded in gratitude.


    Suddenly, the young man spoke again, "Speaking of which, the master''s demise seems rted to the mistress''s death three years ago. I arrivedte and didn''t hear about it. Do you know anything? Sharing what you know could perhaps help with the investigation."


    The maid''s expression changed slightly at first, and she hesitated upon hearing his question. She looked around, making sure no one was nearby, before whispering, "Chef Zhang, have you heard the rumors about this ce?"


    Xu Shuo showed appropriate curiosity, "What rumors?"


    The maid leaned in closer, whispering, "They say Madame Guo''s ghost still haunts this manor. I''ve heard before that this mountain harbors misfortune. Many who have disappeared here are consumed by Resentment Energy and wander the mountains restless, and the mistress was driven mad by them."


    "Wow, that sounds really scary," Xu Shuo feigned dread.


    "..." Seeing his disbelief, the maid couldn''t help but add, "It''s true, the gardener even said he''s seen the mistress''s ghost return, resentful because the master destroyed all of her rose bushes."


    At this point, the maid''s face betrayed her indecision, but she continued, "They say that after the master died, roses were found on his corpse? So, I suspect that this time, the master was done in by the mistress..."


    She made a snapping gesture at her neck and then swallowed with fear.


    Xu Shuo couldn''t help butugh, consoling her, "There aren''t any ghosts in this world. It could be that the murderer wanted to create that scene; you''ve been fine here for three years yourself."


    "The gardener has been here even longer than me, and I think he is already starting to act crazy, especiallytely, acting all strange every morning," the maid confessed, hugging herself with fear.


    "Didn''t the gardener leave when the estate changed hands three years ago?" Xu Shuo asked further.


    "No, he was already here when I arrived, and every day he wears a frown, just like the housekeeper here." The maid''s voice lowered again as she whispered, "You haven''t been here long, so you may not feel it, but a couple years ago, both the master and the housekeeper were very scary. Nobody was allowed into the backyard at all. I suspect there are still some secrets hidden within this manor, perhaps rting to those rumors..."


    "Eugh, if it hadn''t been for the tempting sry that lured me into signing a long-term contract, I might have run away a long time ago." She muttered quietly in the end.


    "That must have been tough on you."


    Xu Shuo offered her a rather ambiguous constion.


    Behind the sofa where they sat, the photographer, who had entered unnoticed, had been eavesdropping. He had intended toe over and question the maid, but instead found the two prime suspects sitting together, chatting.


    The photographer now had two suspects in mind who knew the manor''s secrets. One was Mr. Guo, who suffered from depression, and the other was the gardener.


    As for the housekeeper, he never considered that the man would reveal the truth to him.


    That Mr. Guo was depressed due to past events suggested he likely harbored some grudges; with some guidance, one might be able to extract information from him, although it seemed difficult.


    In the end, the photographer thought for a moment and then turned to find the cringing gardener instead.


    Up to now, he had notpleted either of his two main tasks. Although he expected the truth woulde to light once the police arrived, the photographer had no intention of just sitting idly by waiting for a breakthrough.


    After the photographer left, Zhan Qian, who had been out of sight, entered through the vi''s main gate shortly thereafter, toying with a crucifix ne in her hand.


    Her shoes were smeared with mud, which prompted the maid to bring her a new pair. Then she walked towards the living room, her gaze curiously studying the young man on the sofa.


    "You''re not really nning to just sit here waiting to win by default, are you?" Zhan Qian approached him and said.


    "You seem pretty confident. Did Miss Zhan find some reliable clue?" Xu Shuo looked at her and smiled as he spoke.


    Zhan Qian sat down on the sofa, elegantly crossing her legs and said lightly, "Three years ago, Madame Guomitted suicide. Three yearster, someone using her identity seems to be seeking revenge for her."


    Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows.


    She then continued, "It sounds that way, doesn''t it?"


    "So it wasn''t like that, then?" Xu Shuo rested his chin in his hand, watching her with interest, "Have you managed to reconstruct the story of this y?"


    "Three years ago, there was a major disappearance incident in these mountains, with eight girls going missing over the course of the year. The police couldn''t find any leads no matter how much they searched," Zhan Qian said, looking at him, "After Madame Guo found out, she suddenly went mad without any apparent reason, and then she killed herself in the backyard rosebushes in just two or three days."


    "Mr. Guo loved his wife deeply, so he buried her back there and nted the tomb full of roses."


    "But three yearster, in August, someone sent Mr. Guo a rose every night along with a threatening letter and finally murdered himst night."


    Zhan Qian smiled faintly, a hint of mystery in her voice, "Sounds like revenge for Madame Guo, doesn''t it? But it''s strange, what exactly is the connection between Madame Guo''s suicide three years ago and the missing girls, and what is the connection with Mr. Guo?"


    Xu Shuo smiled gently as well, "Miss Zhan is as always keen on showing off a bit first, but do you know, many viins die because they talk too much."


    Zhan Qian: "..."


    Her face became stiff for a moment, and she silently moved a bit further away from the man before pulling an awkward yet graceful smile.


    "My task has nothing to do with you."

 Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Mr. Guos Treasure

    The photographer found the gardener not with the butler, but alone, curled up in a dark corner of the courtyard, clutching his head and mumbling to himself.


    The short-statured middle-aged man was huddled up, his body trembling like a sieve, half-hidden by the dense thicket. If the photographer hadn''t been specifically looking for him, he might not have seen him at all.


    It wasn''t until he drew closer that he could clearly hear the gardener incessantly muttering something about "don''te looking for me", looking quite frightened.


    The photographer felt a vague understanding in his heart and was about to go over and offer somefort, when suddenly, something seemed to explode in his mind, followed by that familiar system notification sound¡ª


    [Congrattions, yers, forpleting more than 50% of the main quest. The theater will end in two hours, please get ready.]


    The photographer was startled, then his face underwent a dramatic change!


    ...


    This system notification resounded in everyone''s minds, almost immediately after Zhan Qian''s task two was announced aspleted, the next moment this reminder sounded again.


    Instinctively, she looked over at the young man opposite her, who was now looking upwards with interest, likely viewing his quest panel.


    The main quest was just over 50%plete, meaning there must be people who haven''t finished their tasks yet, and with only two hours to go before the end, those who hadn''tpleted their tasks would face punishment.


    However, seeing the young man''s nonchnt demeanor, perhaps he had indeed alreadypleted his tasks.


    "I didn''t expect the condition to leave this world to be this," Zhan Qian came back to her senses and said, somewhat awkwardly adjusting her hair, andined to herself internally.


    Calling it a Scripted Murder Game, just finishing more than half of the main quest already lets it end, so imprecise...


    She had been insisting on restoring the original story of the script until recently.


    Of course, it wasn''t ruled out that because she had already revealed the story, the Scripted Murder Game system might have also deemed the story "restored" in some way¡­ Zhan Qian silently consoled herself.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Tan Xiaohe, who was rummaging through the storage room, was also stunned.


    What filled her mind was: it seems I''ve suddenly won by doing nothing, not only are the tasks alreadyplete, sparing me from any punishment, but the game is about to end as well.


    "Miss Tan, what''s wrong?" asked the detective with a smile upon seeing the girl suddenly freeze: "I''ve found the door to the wine cer~"


    "Ah?"


    Tan Xiaohe snapped back to reality and looked at the detective who had suddenly appeared behind her and, upon hearing she was looking for the wine cer, volunteered to help without asking further.


    After a thought, Tan Xiaohe said with a hint of resignation, "Nothing really, I just suddenly lost the desire to explore, after all, none of this really has anything to do with me!"


    The detective nced at the girl who had suddenly entered a wiser frame of mind and didn''t respond, merely opening the door to the wine cer.


    "Let''s go, before the butler realizes what we''re doing, let''s see what fine wine there is inside." The detective,pletely ignoring her previous words, said cheerily, pulling the girl along toward the basement.


    "Hey, hey, hey, I''m really not curious anymore!" Tan Xiaohe made a token struggle.


    The wine cer buried underground was extremely dim, filled with a sweet and rich aroma. After the detective left the door ajar, he fumbled around to turn on the light.


    Warm yellow light poured down, revealing rows of sealed wine jars on the ground.


    "Wine," the detective leaned in and sniffed.


    Since they were about to leave this game world, Tan Xiaohe really felt it was tasteless andcked that strong urge to explore, simply looking around out of boredom.


    It seemed to be just an ordinary wine cer, storing many wines below, most of which were already brewed, with a light heady scent lingering at the tip of her nose.


    The detective sniffed carefully, and Tan Xiaohe felt this person''s sense of smell seemed to be very keen, she couldn''t help but say, "If there were many people poisoned to death, wouldn''t inhaling so much poison every day be a problem?"


    It seemed like before, in the master bedroom, this guy also sniffed directly, wasn''t he afraid to encounter a poison that could kill upon inhtion?


    Hearing this, the detective paused for a moment, thenughed twice and said, "Thanks for the concern, beauty, but I''ve never really thought about that~"


    When he encountered challenging cases, he just wanted to figure out a way to solve them, and he couldn''t be bothered to think about anything else.


    Besides, with no tools avable, what else could he rely on but himself?


    Maybe after getting out, he could also find a "Huasheng"?


    The detective idly thought about these things, groping his way to a wall, and then moved the wine jar in front of him and continued to feel along the wall.


    Tan Xiaohe saw that he seemed to be purposeful and asked, "Did you find something?"


    "I feel that there is also another strange smell here, this smell, I have encountered many times before..." said the detective squinting, his expression getting somewhat serious now.


    What kind of smell could the detective frequently encounter?


    He wouldn''t be referring to a smell that ismonly found in daily life; it was likely rted to his detective work.


    Tan Xiaohe thought for a moment, then suddenly her thoughts halted, blood?


    ...


    In a second-floor guest room, after sleeping for most of the day, Yang Ming finally woke up to the continuous system prompt sounds. He subconsciously wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and then looked up into midair.


    On the system''s task panel, there was a green checkmark next to the main mission, indicating it waspleted.


    And below this message, there was another new one, highlighted and bolded, "This scripted murder game will end in two hours."


    Yang Ming nkly thought for a while, remembering he had entered a game, remembered going out to steal in the middle of the night, and was cracking the password for the stolen data files.


    At this realization, he suddenly came to his senses, looked down at the tablet in his hands where the download progress bar had reached the end, popping up with an "unlocked" window.


    Yang Ming promptly sat up straight, tapped the screen, and in an instant, a folder opened, with rows of densely packed video files listed out.


    Was this what the manor owner had hidden so deeply?


    They were all video files, could it be that Mr. Guo had done some illegal business, and these were all saved as leverage?


    Yang Ming allowed his thoughts to wander for a bit then randomly clicked on a video.


    While the video was loading, he suddenly remembered seeing something about a mission prompt earlier, so he pulled up the system again to check, and sure enough, his and Tan Xiaohe''s cooperative mission, "Steal the manor owner''s treasure," showed aspleted.


    And the game was almost over!


    Yang Ming: "???"


    What on earth had happened below while he had identally dozed off?


    Just then, the video finished loading and started ying automatically, Yang Ming quickly looked down.


    The screen showed a pitch-dark secret room, a wall covered in bloodstains, a dim and gloomy light, an borately crafted chair, and a girl with numerous scars, bound and captive.


    Yang Ming again: "???"

 Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Wine Cellar

    In the wine cer, the detective found a wall brick with a different texture.


    So he pressed hard on it, but it didn''t move at all, nor did he hear any strange sounds when pressing down.


    Tan Xiaohe, who was standing by, couldn''t help but say, "Why don''t you try pulling it out?"


    The detective paused for a moment, and then took off his hunting hat, retrieved a piece of wire from inside it, and inserted it in the crevice of the wall. After prying the brick out slightly, he was able to slowly extract it with his fingertips.


    Finally, the dark wall brick was indeed removed by him, and he reached into the empty space, feeling something at the top that could be pressed.


    "Click."


    The whole wall, as if a lock had been released, its seams misaligned, revealing a door that was ajar.


    The detective''s eyes gleamed slightly, "It seems I may have found the evidence."


    ¡­


    In a dim corner of the courtyard, after pulling out the gardener from where he was huddled and interrogating him uncalmly, the photographer abruptly stood up and turned towards the storage room where the tools were kept.


    The short-statured gardener curled up on the ground, muttering to himself, "It''s not my fault, it''s not my fault," but such reassurances seemed ineffective.


    As if he had seen something in the air, he began to feel an inexplicable fear and tried to scurry back into the bushes. Yet, seeing the neatly groomed, lush green embankment, he suddenly startled and jumped back.


    Atst, the gardener let out a low growl, hugging his head and trembling incessantly on the ground. The mysticist had opened the darkness in his heart, and he truly feared that the ghosts woulde for him.


    Every night he would see a white figure drifting in the backyard, impossible to catch, ande dawn, the soil of the grass embankment would be turned upside-down, as if something below wanted to break free, or, perhaps, something was looking for its own body.


    Remembering these things made the gardener increasingly afraid; he feared that after his master''s death, he would be next.


    And then that mysticist found him, telling him there were things wandering around him¡­


    The girls hade back!


    ¡­


    In the pavilion of the courtyard, Miss Painter finished her drawing, put down her brush, and looked up at the clear sky.


    After a night of heavy rain, the day turned out to be clear and sunny. Looking down from the mansion located halfway up the hill, she could see cars moving along the mountain road in the distance.


    The girl packed up her sketchbook, looked up at a corner window on the second floor, and then turned back into the vi.


    Some servants were cleaning around, all moving with bowed heads and cautious hands, as if they were afraid to disturb something, spreading a repressive and somber aura throughout the mansion.


    On the sofa, Zhan Qian sipped tea while perusing the newspaper, while far across from her, the chef yed with his phone.


    Both seemed quitefortable. Seeing Miss Paintere in, they just nced up; yet Zhan Qian seemed to think of something and looked over again.


    Miss Painter took a seat on a single sofa, and a maid came to pour her some ck tea before quietly retreating.


    "Have the police arrived?" Zhan Qian asked.


    "Any moment now," replied the painter girl casually as she sipped her tea, her demeanor towards Zhan Qian carrying a hint of disdain.


    "Speaking of which, the era of this game world seems quite different from ours; detective culture is very popr here, and all sorts of strange cases often ur," Zhan Qian continued nonchntly, unfazed by the painter''s attitude.


    "Oh," answered the painter perfunctorily.


    "It sounds somewhat like the world of a certain death god in elementary school," Xu Shuo across from them chimed in with a smile.


    Zhan Qian was a bit put off by him and, smoothing her hair, continued, "I wonder where exactly this system has sent us. Although this is a Scripted Murder Game, the NPCs here feel very real indeed."


    They have their own thoughts and characters, as well as their own motives for acting, and at times, they can make one forget that this is a game world.


    Xu Shuo suddenly said thoughtfully, "If a game this highly immersive were to appear in real life, it would probably be really popr, too bad current virtual technology isn''t there yet."


    Zhan Qian nced at him, noticing that this guy was ying mobile games inside the game and still thinking about games in reality.


    Their conversation gradually drifted away from the Scripted Murder Game, and Miss Painter looked at them, didn''t say anything, when suddenly, there came thumping sounds from the second floor.


    It sounded like someone was running anxiously.


    They looked up and saw that someone''s boyfriend, who had only woken up by now, came running down with a face that was a mix of shock andtent fear.


    Xu Shuo cast a concerned look his way, "What''s wrong, you look like you''re not in good spirits."


    "I... I have to tell you guys..." Yang Ming ran down, clutching his tablet tightly, swallowed, and said, "I think I''ve discovered the biggest secret hidden in this manor!"


    He thought that since he had alreadypleted his main task and the game was going to end in two hours, it didn''t matter if he was now opposing someone else''s task.


    So he couldn''t be the only one to have his worldview shattered like this!


    Zhan Qian raised an eyebrow, her face showing an expression of not being surprised, and said, "What secret, tell us about it?"


    "Words alone aren''t enough!"


    Yang Ming, full of excitement, sat down, waved away the maid who came to offer him tea, opened the tablet on the table, and said, "Just watch it for yourself! Don''t blink!"


    Suddenly, Xu Shuo stood up and said, "You guys go ahead and watch, I need to use the restroom."


    "Hey hey hey bro, don''t go!" Yang Ming tried to retain someone to join him in his shattered worldview, but the young man turned and left without paying any attention to him.


    Zhan Qian withdrew her gaze from the young man''s retreating figure and turned to look at the tablet on the table. A video was ying, starting with a dark room.


    Zhan Qian: "..."


    It looked like she could already anticipate what it was.


    Although she had identally learned the whole story from the gardener, who was not good at handling scares, she actually didn''t have a clear impression of how those things happened.


    ...


    In the underground chamber below the wine cer.


    The detective hadpletely lost his previous nonchnt demeanor. He looked around at the bloodstains that had congealed in various ces in the underground cell, took off his hunting hat, and pulled out a small camera from inside it.


    The pitch-ck walls were hung with various instruments of torture and some fetish gear, and opposite a chair for restraining people was aputer and a sofa chair.


    It seemed the owner of this chamber had a very twisted hobby.


    Tan Xiaohe looked up at the ceiling, noting that the only camera in the entire manor was installed here.


    She could almost imagine the scene with people being captured and bound to the chair, the perverseughter of Little ck, and the screams of fear and despair merging together.


    Tsk, Tan Xiaohe shivered, rubbing the goosebumps on her arms.


    "Girls shouldn''t be watching this; you can wait for me outside," the detective said, seriously collecting evidence, and seemed to sense someone behind him, uncharacteristically speaking with a rare touch of chivalry.


    "Earlier, when you said not to casually climb the stairs in the forest or heedlessly enter the houses in the mountains, did you mean this? Did you already know all this?" Tan Xiaohe did not leave; instead, something suddenly urred to her.


    "We''ve had our suspicions about this manor for years, but we''ve never had solid evidence, and because of pressure from Guo Corporation, we haven''t been able to get a search warrant, so it was dyed. However, with this evidence, they won''t be able to escape," the detective said while taking photos.


    "So that means, that guy..."


    Tan Xiaohe narrowed her eyes slightly; she remembered the person who had guided her to find the wine cer, and just then, she heard a slight noise from behind her.


    Click... the sound of something being chambered.

 Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Sin

    The next moment, the detective who had been crouching in front of Tan Xiaohe to take pictures suddenly stood up, pulling her to safety almost instantly, while simultaneously pulling something out of his pocket and pointing it at the person across from him.


    "The butler?" Tan Xiaohe looked at the neer with some surprise and then noticed the gun the detective had drawn, raising an eyebrow, "People in your world can carry guns around?"


    [Because you revealed non-game content in front of the theater''s characters, 100 deduction points have been taken from your performance score. Current performance score: 250. If performance score falls below 100 at the end of the game, the penalty mechanism will be activated.]


    The instant she finished her thought, the system''s voice echoed in her mind.


    Tan Xiaohe: "..."


    What else about this game did she not know?


    The good thing was, at the moment, the detective''s attention was fixated on the butler with the gun opposite him, and he hadn''t pondered her words deeply. The butler, too, focused only on the detective, and neither paid any mind to her.


    The detective''s lips curled into a cold smirk, "Butler, you really shouldn''t be doing this, should you?"


    The butler, who usually was the epitome of a polite gentleman, now exuded a gloomy, ominous aura, saying with an expressionless face, "Mr. Gu, I''ve told you to stick to your role and not to do anything superfluous."


    "Your master is already dead, yet you keep hiding this filth, you really are a good dog." the detective taunted sarcastically.


    "Mr. Gu, you are only here to investigate the master''s death; these matters do not concern you." the butler, unmoved, tightened his finger slightly on the trigger.


    Although the two of them were locked in a standoff, Tan Xiaohe''s mind inexplicably drifted to a Sherlockian plot where the detectives never killed anyone.


    In fact, the increasingly paleplexion of the detective standing in front of her seemed to support that notion.


    Just then, a dark shadow suddenly darted out in the wine cer, followed by a loud crash of something being smashed down¡ª


    "Crash!"


    A wine jar exploded right on the butler''s head, the rich aroma of the grape wine immediately pervading the air, mixing with the man''s blood on the floor, but also dissipating much of the bloodstench that lingered in the secret room.


    The detective was momentarily stunned, then quickly went forward to check the butler''s pulse and breathing after he copsed in front of him.


    "Thank goodness he''s okay." The detective breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Are you guys alright then?" Xu Shuo cocked his head to look at them and took the chance to survey the prison cell.


    Although he knew there was a secret room below, he had not yete down to see it himself because the only ce in the vi with surveince cameras wasn''t just the secret room; pinhole cameras were also installed in the wine cer.


    How could they not be wary at the entrance?


    "We hadn''t started fighting yet¡ªyou''re the chef, right? How did you end up here?" The detective asked the first part, then quickly switched his thoughts to the young man''s identity, eyeing him meaningfully.


    "When I went to the bathroom, I saw the butler heading this way, and he didn''t look very good, so I followed him to check it out."


    "Everyone in the manor is very afraid of the butler, no one dares to approach him, but you seem not afraid at all."


    "It''s okay, I haven''t been here long, and the butler is usually quite nice." Xu Shuo replied amicably.


    Listening to his praise for the butler, Tan Xiaohe nced at the old butler he had knocked to the ground, now bleeding profusely and in an uncertain state between life and death.


    The detective also drew his mouth into a speechless line, then helped the butler up, preparing to take him out for treatment to prevent the man from bleeding out.


    Otherwise, if the chef initially had no guilt, he would now indeed be guilty.


    "Oh right, don''t mess with anything in this secret room, especially thatputer." The detective instructed as he carried the butler out, his concern evident.


    "What''s there to mess with here? Everything is covered in blood, even touching it feels dirty." Xu Shuo followed him out, patting the damp stains on his hands. He had gotten drenched when he smashed the wine jar.


    Seeing this, the detective didn''t borate further, and Tan Xiaohe, not wanting to linger in that suffocating space any longer, followed them out, walking beside the young man.


    "Hey, did you already know there was something beneath that spot?" Tan Xiaohe asked quietly.


    "I didn''t know." Xu Shuo saidzily.


    "Do you think I believe that?"


    "If you refuse to believe, what can I do?"


    The young man looked innocently at her. Tan Xiaohe clicked her tongue and didn''t pursue further. Although she felt slightly annoyed at being used, on second thought, she saw it as no loss and even got to watch half a show.


    More importantly, the game would end in two hours, and any extra time would be for her enjoyment.


    Tan Xiaohe consoled herself.


    ...


    After the three returned to the mansion, the three people in the living room were seated on the sofa watching something, while the maid next to them looked utterly dispirited, not responding despite being called several times by the detective.


    "Pretty girl, don''t space out, go get the first aid kit; your paycheck giver is about to kick the bucket." The detective walked over, ced the butler on the sofa, and waved his hand in front of her face.


    Hearing about her paycheck, the maid snapped back to reality just enough.


    But then, seeing the butler lying beside her, she stepped back two paces in shock, fear creeping over her face which was even more fearful than usual. If previously it was the deference of an inferior to a superior, it was now genuine terror.


    After all, the butler had also appeared in those videos.


    This meant they were all in it together!


    "What''s the matter?" The detective keenly noticed her strange behavior.


    "I... I''ll go get the first aid kit..." The maid, trembling, nced at the blood on the butler''s head and hastily made her exit.

 Chapter 25: Chapter 24 Sin_2

    The detective nced at her retreating back, then turned his gaze back to the few people on the sofa and asked Zhan Qian, whom he was rtively familiar with, "Miss Zhan, what are you watching?"


    Zhan Qian maintained an elegant and calm expression with effort and said, "A video segment."


    Tan Xiaohe, who had followed them, saw Yang Ming and guessed with high probability that the homebody must have already cracked that encrypted file.


    This might exin it because when she entered the storeroom just now, she really hadn''t had the chance to touch anything, let alone take something away. It was likely Yang Ming who hadpleted the task at that time.


    So now, was this guy showing everyone the fruits of their task?!


    Tan Xiaohe also moved closer, and just as the detective picked up the tablet to see what video Zhan Qian was talking about, they might all have had a premonition.


    The video yed in the video store, and the familiar secret room appeared before their eyes.


    With an expressionless face, the detective watched the surveince footage of Mr. Guo tying an unconscious girl to an electric chair and proceeding to carry out his evil deeds.


    The video file contained a lot, unlike Zhan Qian and the others who stopped after watching just a few. The detective even opened and reviewed all the videos, gradually matching the victims with the characters in his mind.


    Although the disappearance case on the mountain that year couldn''t be thoroughly investigated, the power of Guo Corporation had fallen day by day thanks to the efforts of a few detectives, until now, when Gu Miao was able to freely enter the manor to investigate.


    Even just now, Mr. Guo''s criminal evidence had been found, and the existence of the video meant there was no room for any more prevarication.


    But it seemed as if everything had lost its meaning.


    Because it was already toote.


    "So..." After watching the video, the detective shook the tablet in his hand, looked at the group with a meaningful smile, and said, "How did you get hold of these things?"


    Zhan Qian and Miss Painter both looked towards Yang Ming.


    Tan Xiaohe at his side seemed to be surprised as well, as if unaware of what her boyfriend had done.


    Yang Ming: "..."


    He looked up at the high dome, then down at the floor, took a sip of the ck tea from the table, and finally opened the system''s task panel to check the two-hour countdown timer.


    Yang Ming felt that he should be able to keep silent for the remaining hour and a half.


    After all, there was no exining this matter.


    No matter how it was put, the fact that he had hacked into Mr. Guo''sputer was established, and there was no way he could argue that these materials had entered his tablet by themselves.


    And to admit it meant certainly facing even more questions.


    But then again¡ª he wasn''t from this world, he was just ying a game, and now that the game was about to end, these people couldn''t really do anything to him. He figured there wouldn''t even be time to take him to the police station for questioning.


    With this thought, Yang Ming felt somewhat relieved and began to focus on the patterns on the teacup.


    The room fell silent, and everyone was speechless at his imperturbable attitude. At that moment, the photographer walked in with a grave face.


    "Gu Miao!" The photographer was looking to verify some information with the detective and paused slightly upon seeing the unusual gathering of yers in the hall.


    "Ah, you''re just in time, take a look." The detective turned and saw him, then handed over the tablet.


    The photographer subconsciously caught the tablet, and the detective pointed to the y button for him.


    [Congrattions onpleting Task One: Finding the crime evidence of Manor Owner Mr. Guo.]


    The next moment, the system''s notification echoed in the photographer''s mind.


    He was silent for a moment, already aware of the full picture of the incident when he had interrogated the gardener in the backyard earlier. He had been looking for the detective to discuss some intelligence but had unexpectedly received evidence directly.


    The photographer nced at the beginning of the video and stopped watching. He handed back the tablet and, after scanning the hall, suddenly asked, "Where''s the chef?"


    All five yers were present, except for the chef.


    The detective naturally put away the tablet, not nning to return it to the homebody and said, "He should have gone to change clothes, he got wine spilled on him just now."


    Since the detective said so, the photographer didn''t suspect any further but asked again, "Where were you all just now?"


    "We went to take a look at the crime scene."


    "That secret room?" the photographer said.


    "Yes, a sin that has lingered since three years ago," the detective nodded with a solemn face, "Madame Guo sent me a message for help back then, probably because she discovered her husband''s deeds. However, you might have guessed wrong about one thing: Madame Guo and her husband truly loved each other."


    The detective said thest sentence to Zhan Qian.


    It was because earlier, while in the courtyard, Zhan Qian had uttered, "Mr. Guo didn''t love his wife that much."


    Hearing this, Zhan Qian rolled her eyes elegantly and did not speak. She still held reservations about her own views; if Mr. Guo really loved his wife, he should have stopped at that time.


    The detective continued, "She loved her husband, so she couldn''t betray him, but she couldn''t ept or stop Mr. Guo''s criminal actions either, which led her to choose suicide in the end."


    "Mr. Guo knew all about this and found himself in the same predicament as his mother, hence he began to shut himself away. The old butler has served at the manor for decades and loved Mr. Guo as if he were his own son. He knew everything but indulged it," said the detective.


    "It''s a pity, they fell in love with a devil and descended into hell with him," came the final words not from the detective but from the chef who had changed and approached.


    Xu Shuo nced at the shaking butler, who was being attended to by a maid for his wounds, and sat on the other side of the couch, right next to Zhan Qian. She was so startled that she carefully shifted her thigh.


    "What you said is correct," the detective said meaningfully, looking at him, "Concealing a crime is also a crime, especially this kind, with a devil."


    Because of their silence and indulgence, nine girls suffered unspeakable torture over three years and died in agony and despair.


    If not for this...


    The detective frowned at the thought, then looked at the people present and said, "Although I don''t know what brought you here, I hope that when the police arrive, you will all cooperate and provide your statements."


    Hearing this, Zhan Qian smiled mysteriously, "Of course, but I wonder when the police will get here? Will they make it within two hours?"


    The detective opened his mouth but before he could answer, another girl said with a faint sneer, "Don''t worry, they''ll be here within half an hour, I just saw their cars at the foot of the mountain. It might even be less than half an hour."


    The one speaking was Miss Painter, calmly breaking Zhan Qian''s mysterious superiority.


    Zhan Qian had nothing to say, she just ran her fingers through her hair, still maintaining her poised demeanor, though what she might be cursing inside was anyone''s guess.


    The detective was somewhat surprised, "It seems they''re moving faster than expected."


    He had seen the extent of thendslide when he arrived and thought it would take until noon to clear, not anticipating it being done so soon.


    If that''s the case, then the other case will likely be resolved soon as well.


    Although Mr. Guo was guilty, and unforgivably so, he should be punished by thew, not murdered.


    Even if the murderer, in some respects, did a service by removing a menace, it doesn''t change the fact that a crime wasmitted.


    Thinking of this, the detective suddenly looked at Chef Zhang, who was ying with his phone on the couch, and then said, "Chef Zhang, may I have a look at your room?"


    Xu Shuo waved his hand towards him, saying nothing.


    The detective turned and walked toward his room, with the photographer following seamlessly behind.


    Once inside the room and the door closed, the photographer couldn''t wait to say, "Gu Miao, do you really think he killed Mr. Guo to avenge Madame Guo?"


    The detective, stroking his chin, replied, "Don''t be too excited, there''s no evidence proving he''s the murderer yet."


    "My intuition," the photographer said, her expression obscure.


    The countdown on the system panel may signal the end of the game for others, but for someone who still has a mission iplete, it was the countdown to punishment.


    Who knows what the punishment for failing this game could be!


    The detective, who was bending down to check under the bed, responded in a subdued tone, "Is that so? I''ve heard you like to rely on intuition to solve cases, but such ethereal matters..."


    Mid-sentence, the detective paused; his fingers brushed the floor under the bed, finding not a speck of dust.


    The entire underside of the bed was dust-free, without any signs of dragging, and the room was spotless as if the upant was someone who liked to keep things clean and even cleaned under the bed regrly.


    "Quite clever," the detective murmured.

 Chapter 26: Chapter 25 Game Over

    The police didn''t take long; half an hourter, several police cars indeed arrived at the manor''s entrance.


    At this time, the housekeeper had still not woken up, Mr. Guo remained locked in on the second floor, and there waspletely no master of the manor capable of taking charge, so the detective directly took it upon himself to wee the police in.


    "Mr. Gu," the leading officer nodded to the detective and then paused for a moment upon seeing the photographer next to him, following up with a greeting, "I didn''t expect Mr. Yao to be here as well."


    "You police have arrivedte again," said the detective with a smile brimming in his voice, taking out the tablet he had obtained and passing it over.


    The officer, with a resigned shake of his head, took the tablet and then looked inquiringly.


    The detective''s expression turned serious as he solemnly said, "Mr. Guo''s evidence of crime, the truth about those matters from three years ago, it''s all in here. I wasn''t wrong in my conjectures back then. Besides¡ªthere''s a wine cer in the storage room, and beneath the wine cer, there''s a secret chamber; you can send someone down to take a look."


    Upon hearing this, the officer''s demeanor also became grave, and he nodded toward the detective.


    "Right, did you bring tools?" the detective asked again.


    "What kind of tools?" the officer said, turning back to look at the police cars behind him.


    After receiving the manor''s rmst night, because of Gu Miao''s obstruction, the police not only came to investigate the murderer of Mr. Guo this time but were also prepared to dig up the entire manor.


    After all, the influence of Guo Corporation in the past two years was no longer sufficient to exert pressure on them, especially now that the principal was already dead.


    Even though it had been three years since the incident, and even though the murderer was already dead, a crime that should be made public would not be buried.


    "There''s still one murderer that hasn''t been found, but I see there''s not much mystery left to this case," the detective sighed ambiguously after handing over the manor to the police.


    ...


    Once the police took control of the manor, all the servants working in various ces were gathered inside the vi, including several visitors who had entered uninvited.


    In the vast manor, a dozen or so people were surrounded by a few police officers, and the presence of those in uniform exerted a strong sense of oppression.


    There wasn''t much time left until the game ended; the photographer, anxious about that final task, didn''t waste any words after the police arrived and took them straight to the kitchen.


    It must be said that his hidden identity as a detective made it much easier for him to earn the trust of the police.


    Xu Shuo knew what the photographer wanted to find¡ªprobably nning to dismantle and inspect the drainpipe under the washbasin for any residual poison.


    Because the washbasin was sealed, and for the sake of aesthetics, the basin was also integrated with the wall during the vi''s renovation.


    Unless it was smashed, it was impossible to dismantle without a professional.


    Xu Shuo nced at the countdown to the game''s end and didn''t bother with the actions of the police, continuing to sit on the sofa, drinking tea and ying with his phone.


    The police originally thought that the culprit might be among these inexplicably lodged travelers, but while they watched closely, everyone appeared very rxed and at ease, with no sign of urgency!


    The yers were indeed not anxious; after all, they were not from this world, and however many people died here, it would not concern them once the time was up.


    The detective returned to Chef Zhang''s room and searched around; after examining it, he let out a sigh simr to Xu Shuo''s earlier one: So clean.


    This cleanliness referred not only to how neat the room was cleaned but also to the cleanliness of having no information at all.


    It seemed he was an old-school, honest chef¡ªso clean that there was no sign of criminal activity, but after thinking about the chef''s deft movement when smashing the wine jar on the housekeeper, the detective felt it was too fake.


    ...


    Noises of dismantling the washbasin came from the kitchen, and among the yers sitting on the sofa, Zhan Qian asionally nced at the young man, finding him trulyposed.


    The more she observed him before, the more she felt that the contours of his figure seemed familiar.


    Zhan Qian was still unclear if he was the murderer, but her suspicion was indeed leaning toward him, despite her having said at the beginning of the game that it was highly unlikely for a yer to be the murderer in a beginner''s Scripted Murder Game.


    But she also said, that was a probability...


    At that time, Zhan Qian was misled by her own task, which directed her to investigate the manor''s secrets, and she subconsciously pushed the plot toward the entanglements of love and hatred within the manor, simultaneously expecting the other few to help her investigate, so she came up with the "yer is not the murderer" spection.


    Although now the whole plot had taken a bizarre turn toward imprisonment and savage killing,pletely unrted to love and hatred, the most critical question emerged¡ª


    Why did the murderer kill Mr. Guo?


    Was it for Madame Guo, or for those deceased girls?


    The game was nearly over, but there was still onest item in the entire Scripted Murder Game that hadn''t beenpleted.


    ...


    The murderer knew all this but didn''t report it to the police or collect evidence; he simply murdered Mr. Guo.


    The detective sat at Chef Zhang''s desk, idly flipping through the cookbook for recipe improvements, trying to find a dish in it that could cause poisoning when consumed inbination. Suddenly, he remembered something.


    He remembered Xu Shuo sitting on the sofa ying with his phone.


    The detective got up, poked his head out from the doorway, and called out to the living room, "Chef Zhang, may I please see your phone?"


    Xu Shuo, who was ying Candy Crush, heard the call and got up without wasting a second to pass his phone to him. The detective hastily took it, only to see the "level clear" screen of Candy Crush.

 Chapter 27: Chapter 25 Game Over_2

    The phone had been in the chef''s grip for quite some time now, and even if there had been any information, it was probably deleted, but the detective still wanted toe over and take a look.


    Xu Shuo leaned against the doorframe, watching him fiddle, without stopping him.


    Apart from the slight inconvenience of poisoning the dish with his own identity, the chef really was quite decisive¡ªhis phone was so clean that after dialing a few contacts, they all turned out to be disconnected numbers.


    Perhaps this was because the chef never intended to leave himself a way out.


    So he had erased his own life.


    ...


    In the kitchen, the sink had already beenpletely dismantled.


    The furniture in the vi was high-end; the pipes beneath it were scrubbed spotlessly clean by machines, without a trace of leftover food or vegetable leaves, but chemical substances are not so easily cleaned away without professional tools.


    Next came the police''s turn to test for toxins with reagents.


    Watching them busy at work, the photographer nced at the rapidly approaching countdown timer, then looked towards the direction of the hall.


    The chef was no longer on the couch; he looked surprised, couldn''t help but nce around the room, and then saw the figure leaning against the doorway at the corner of the corridor on the first floor right side.


    Then it seemed as if the young man had keenly sensed his gaze and turned his head to look over.


    Their eyes met across the distance for an instant before quickly looking away.


    With thispetent assistant searching the chef''s room, the photographer, despite feeling the pressure, remained rtively calm.


    This game truly wasn''t challenging; the only thing missing was evidence.


    ...


    The detective sat back down at the desk with high expectations, turned on the chef''s phone and, after a cursory view of the social media apps and internallymenting on how "really clean" it was, opened the photo gallery.


    There were quite a few photos in the gallery, mostly pictures of beautiful dishes, as well as roses taken previously in the manor, and two or three selfies of the chef.


    The detective tilted his head to look, saw the young man leaning on the doorway ying with his nails, as though waiting for him to finish using the phone so he could take it back.


    He diverted his gaze, took out his own phone, and sent one of the chef''s selfies to himself.


    At that moment, in the kitchen, the officer supervising the dismantling of the kitchen suddenly took out his phone to look at it. He received an authentication message, recognizing it as yet another impulsive detective attempting to ess the police system to look for something.


    The officer had cooperated with the detective multiple times before, which is why the detective had directly snatched the search warrant this time and rushed to the manor first.


    While reluctantly replying with "Don''t mess around," the officer gave him authentication ess.


    ...


    Upon authentication, the system began scanning the picture.


    Solving a case wasn''t only about using one''s brains, but also high-tech tools. Watching the rapidly matching system screen, the detective pretended to push up non-existent sses on his nose.


    ...


    Game countdown, ten minutes.


    The officer testing the water pipes looked up and said, "Cyanide residue, it hasn''t faded away."


    It hadn''t faded away; it was still very fresh.


    The photographer''s gaze flickered, and he quickly said, "Eliminating the possibility of cyanide being pre-applied to the bowl, the only ones in the kitchen at that time were two chefs, and the maid who came in only to fetch bowls and chopsticks didn''t have the opportunity to flush cyanide down the sink in front of the chefs."


    Although the range of suspects had narrowed down again, one person still needed to be ruled out.


    ...


    As he watched the rapidly flickering phone screen, images were also flickering in the detective''s mind. He recalled every scene since he had entered the manor, gradually piecing the clues together.


    Miss Zhan hade to the manor because she wasmissioned by Mr. Guo to investigate the "ghost" who delivered roses every night.


    While roses could lead one to think of "Madame Guo''s return" or "seeking revenge for Madame Guo," if one considered it from another perspective, it seemed like a reminder to Mr. Guo¡ª


    Beneath the roses lies someone.


    All those you once buried.


    Intimidation.


    All those bloody letters sent to Mr. Guo were also meant to intimidate him. From July, the killer had psychologically tormented that devil for a whole month, until finallymitting murderst night.


    The other party knew all of this but didn''t report to the police because the goal was to personally kill Mr. Guo.


    He didn''t want this man to face legal punishment.


    So, was he doing it for Madame Guo, or for¡ª


    At this point, the flickering screen on the phone gradually stabilized. Facial recognition found the data stored in the public security records, and Chef Zhang''s details wereid out.


    "You indeed have something to do with her," the detective muttered under his breath.


    "I heard from the manor''s servants that you came to work here a year ago. And that year, after a two-year hiatus due to Madame Guo''s suicide, Mr. Guo resumed his criminal activities and killed another high school girl. In August, during the summer vacation, Zhang Ya disappeared here and her body has still not been found."


    "You''re Zhang Shou, Zhang Ya''s brother!"


    "So you don''t want to send Mr. Guo to jail, all you did was to kill him!"


    "You disguised yourself as Madame Guo''s ghost to torment him, sending him roses and threatening letters, also just to make him feel the despair before death, just like those girls, because you knew Mr. Guo wouldn''t dare to call the police or hire a detective."


    "Untilst night, with many travelers around, it was your best chance to strike¡ª"


    Click.


    The detective, caught up in the heat of deduction, suddenly stopped short as the youth, who moved without a sound, had somehowe up behind him and lightly pressed something against the back of his head.


    The detective''s eyes widened; he turned around recklessly, trying to see.

 Chapter 28: Chapter 25 Game Over_3

    There were no weapons of great lethality; the youth casually lifted the keychain in his hand and said with a pleased smile, "Just kidding, I don''t have a gun."


    Detective: "..."


    But in the very next moment, when he had just rxed, Xu Shuo pulled out a square cloth with lightning speed and pressed it against his face!


    Caught off guard, the detective didn''t have time to hold his breath. Instantly, he tasted the bitterness of almonds at the tip of his nose, a dry, nauseating feeling surged up his throat, his body suddenly felt dizzy and weak, and a stifling pain, as if his breath was being suffocated, gripped his chest.


    Cyanide!


    This guy actually carried it with him!


    And he even attempted to kill to silence the witness after being discovered!


    The detective struggled fiercely, trying to make a noise, while his left hand reached for the mobile phone on the table, only to have it pressed down by another hand.


    He looked up, and there, just inches away, the youth used the cloth to cover his mouth and nose, holding up a finger and lightly said with a smile, "Shh, don''t move, just stay like this for a little while."


    Detective: "!!!"


    The room in the left corridor on the first floor was in a blind spot from the staircase; one could see the doorway, but the scene inside the room waspletely hidden.


    Xu Shuo watched the countdown of the game, and after the detective gradually lost the strength to struggle, he let go of him.


    It seemed to be amon habit among all detectives not to rush to call the police to catch the criminal upon discovering the truth, but to reason out their own spections in front of the perpetrator first.


    That''s just asking for trouble.


    Thankfully, his mission was only to "avoid being arrested as the murderer."


    Hope there will be more detectives like this in the future.


    At that moment, hurried footsteps approached from behind, and Xu Shuo turned to look, only to see the photographer running over with a grave expression.


    "Gu Miao¡ª"


    The photographer paused as he entered the room, the youth stood to the side as if ying with his mobile phone, while the detectivey on the table, utterly silent.]


    He stared in shock for quite a while: "What happened to him?"


    Xu Shuo nced at the detective, whose position was not quite graceful, and then looked at the photographer and said with a smile, "He''s asleep."


    Photographer: "..."


    After staring at each other for a good while, the photographer suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Xu Shuo''s cor, his tone dark as he said, "So it''s true, you''re the one who killed the Manor Owner, aren''t you?"


    Thrust against the table behind him, Xu Shuo did not admit anything, but instead asked with a smile, "What''s your mission?"


    "Your mission was to kill Mr. Guo?" the photographer countered, staring straight at him, his eyes brimming with restrained, storm-like emotions.


    "Your mission requires you to find evidence," said Xu Shuo.


    The words they exchanged seemed to be onpletely different wavelengths, but the same message was conveyed.


    Xu Shuo opened the system panel. Although he was unsure if the yers could see each other''s systems, he still pushed the panel, which was counting down, in front of the photographer.


    He said with a smile, "What a pity, I''ve already destroyed the evidence just now. Although it could still be retrieved, but¡ª"


    As he saw the one-minute countdown, the chord in the photographer''s mind snapped, his gaze gradually darkening.


    His intuition focused on the mobile phone held by the chef.


    As long as he couldstly confirm the motive, he could select this guy out from a two-person lineup!


    Xu Shuo felt the hand on his cor gradually applying force and in the moment before the other party was about to act, he red fiercely, suddenly grabbed the photographer''s hand, and twisted it with force, then, as the photographer''s entire upper body was forcibly turned with the arm, Xu Shuo pulled out the cloth from his pocket¡ª


    "Even though your mission might not conflict with mine..."


    In the final moment, Xu Shuo looked at him and smiled strangely.


    "I just don''t want to lose."


    "As long as there is no evidence, I''m not yet a murderer, am I~"

 Chapter 29: Chapter 26: My Brother Moves Bricks to Support My Education (Heavy Fog)

    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Avoid being caught as the murderer.]


    [The theater "Rainy Night Vi" has concluded, and you will soon leave this world. Please prepare yourselves, yers.]


    ...


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes again to find himself standing in the kitchen, holding a kitchen knife.


    He looked around to confirm this was indeed his own kitchen and then lifted the lid of the pot next to him to check inside.


    The water hadn''t dried up yet, but the spare ribs seemed to have been steamed perfectly. Xu Shuo sprinkled the chopped green onions he had on the cutting board on top and then carried the bowl over to the dining table.


    Xu Shuo checked the clock hanging on the wall¡ªit was just past twelve-thirty, seemingly no significant time difference from when he entered the game.


    Come to think of it, whether the game just now was a momentary trance or not was still questionable.


    While pondering this, Xu Shuo, as if nothing had happened, hurriedly finished cutting the washed carrots and swiftly stir-fried another dish with chicken.


    About ten minutester, the somewhat old door to the rental apartment opened with a creaking noise, followed by scattered sounds at the entrance. The sound of footsteps gradually grew closer.


    "I''m back," said the girl who walked in, wearing a red tracksuit, with low twin tails, and an expressionless face.


    "Perfect timing, lunch is ready. Go wash your hands," Xu Shuo said as he poured kelp soup from the soup bowl to the dining table,pleting the midday meal.


    Xu Xi nced at the dining table, then quickly went to her room to put away her backpack and soon returned. She sat down at the table with lowered brows and eyes, her expression rather indifferent.


    "The spare ribs seem to have been steamed for a long time," Xu Ximented tly.


    "No difference, they''re better the more they fall apart," Xu Shuo said while cleaning the kitchen. He then asked, "How many days do you have off?"


    "Three days," Xu Xi replied as she picked up the chopsticks next to her and tried to pick up a piece of spare rib.


    "Aren''t you guys busy with revisiontely?"


    "I''m back."


    Xu Xi took a bite of spare rib, her gaze following Xu Shuo as he removed his apron, went back to his room to change into a shirt, and then sat down on the living room sofa to open hisptop.


    The girl''s eyes held a peculiar look as she stared at the young man who frowned slightly upon seeing some distressing news.


    Feeling her gaze linger too long, Xu Shuo turned to look at her, "What''s up?"


    "Nothing much, I was just thinking, maybe you ran into a setback in business, and just now you went and killed apetitor and dumped the body," Xu Xi said indifferently.


    "...?"


    Xu Shuo paused for a bit, then smiled wryly, "What nonsense, have you been watching too many TV dramas? This is a society ofw. Remember to wash the dishes after eating."


    With that, he closed hisptop and stood up. Xu Xi, seeing this, asked, "Aren''t you going to eat?"


    "I still have work at thepany. I came back just to cook for you, and I haven''t finished my tasks yet," Xu Shuo said while picking up the notebook from the coffee table and heading to the entrance to change shoes.


    "You don''t have to cook," Xu Xi said softly, but the sound of the door closing came from the entrance.


    In the two-bedroom apartment, quietness descended immediately. Xu Xi ate quietly, and then, the phone in her pocket vibrated. She took it out to look.


    It was a message from a friend: [Xixi! Let''s go out and have fun!]


    Xu Xi replied: [I just got back.]


    [I guessed you would definitelye back today, so I timed it to invite you out! We haven''t seen each other in ages, and there''s a super popr offline gametely. Let''s go y together!]


    A game?


    Xu Xi paused for a moment, not yet replying, when another message came through from the other side: "I''ve already reserved both spots, oh, and once it''s booked, we can''t cancel, it''s so expensive~"


    Immediately after, a screenshot was sent over.


    This was practically putting the cart before the horse. Xu Xi opened the screenshot to see that it was from an escape room venue, but the project her friend had reserved was a game called Scripted Murder Game.


    Since it was already booked, there was nothing wrong with going to y; she wasn''t in a rush to review her textbooks anyway.


    Xu Xi is a senior in high school, with the pre-college exams just one month away. Normally, the school wouldn''t encourage seniors to take holidays at this time. After all, the exams were fast approaching, and if they were to take a break, it should be spent cramming at school.


    But Xu Xi still came home, not even the head teacher could stop her.


    Her friend didn''t attend the same school; Xu Xi had met her duringpulsory education in middle school.


    It wasn''t a very good middle school, yet Xu Xi had been admitted to a rather prestigious high school, albeit with slightly high tuition fees.


    But back then, Xu Shuo said, "We can''t take our choice of high school lightly," so he gave up on college early to enter the workforce, nning to earn enough to cover the hefty expenses of the key high school for Xu Xi.


    Although she had said, going to just any high school would do.


    However, Xu Shuo had countered, "Even if a guy doesn''t have enough diplomas, he can still earn by manualbor, can you do that?"


    Xu Xi replied, "I can too."


    So during the summer break, she really did spend two months moving bricks on a construction site. When the school term started, she still ended up going to the key high school, somewhat at a loss about having saved up some pocket money for herself.


    Three years had passed, and with the college entrance exams right around the corner, Xu Xi had already chosen her university.


    With her current grades, she could get in without reviewing anyway.


    After lunch, she washed up the dishes, changed into casual clothes, and went out to meet up, while also looking up on her phone how the game was supposed to be yed.


    Thanks to Xu Shuo, Xu Xi had yed many games, but it was her first encounter with a Scripted Murder Game, an offline game.


    ...


    In the bustling city with its towering skyscrapers, Xu Shuo took the elevator from the underground parking lot to the twenty-third floor. The corridor was a maze of crisscrossing paths lined with numerous small studios, one of which was the game development studio that he and his friends had established a year ago.


    "Boss, you''re finally here!"


    As soon as Xu Shuo entered the studio, a voice called out to him, and turning to see who it was, he saw Pei Sheng running over, looking furious.


    The studio wasn''trge, with just six people including Xu Shuo, all of whom had been his high school friends.


    The reason they even had money to start a business was that Xu Shuo had initially robbed Pei Sheng, a rich young master, and then recruited him into the team under the guise of "smooth sailing."


    It was a real "literal sense" robbery.


    Pei Sheng mmed a contract down in front of him and raged, "That detestable Boss Wang is threatening us¡ªif we don''t sell him our game, he says he''ll make a pirated version to steal traffic! Boss, isn''t this outrageous?"


    Xu Shuo nodded, "Pretty outrageous."


    Honestly, on the current gaming market, pretty much everyone was copying each other anyway.


    As opposed to the other employees who were already desensitized to this sort of tactic, Pei Sheng, the rich young master, simply couldn''t swallow this affront¡ªespecially since it was thrown so tantly in his face.


    "That old geezer actually dares to threaten us, Boss, why don''t we just take him down?" Certainly, Pei Sheng showed an expression that was both Fierce God and Evil Fiend.


    "What are you thinking? This is a society ruled byw." After reading the acquisition contract, Xu Shuo pressed the paper against his face.


    Pei Sheng removed the paper, his face which had been filled with extreme anger suddenly broke into a mischievous grin, "I just meant to take down his pirated game, Boss, what are you thinking?"

 Chapter 30: Chapter 27 Scripted Murder Game

    ```


    "So, what are you nning to do with this?"


    After sitting down at his own desk, the studio''s tech advisor, Li Ziwen, once again ced the acquisition contract in front of Xu Shuo.


    Unlike the ragtag group of half-trained ruffians that they were, Li Ziwen lived up to his refined name, looking every bit the dissipated schr and also being the only college graduate in the studio.


    Xu Shuo took another look at the contract, quickly scanning over the price, and then said, "Sell it to them."


    As his words fell, the gazes of the other four immediately turned towards him, and Pei Sheng clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.


    "The lifespan of this game is almost over anyway, let''s switch to a different operating model and make a new game of a different type," Xu Shuo thought out loud.


    "Switch operating model?" Li Ziwen looked at him.


    "Do you guys know what a Scripted Murder Game is?" Xu Shuo asked.


    "I know."


    "I''ve yed it."


    "I''ve heard of it."


    The five of them raised their hands and spoke up in turn.


    Pei Sheng, as a wealthy heir who never had to worry about entertainment, had yed it a few times and then said, "However, the development of this kind of offline game isn''t actually that great. Nowadays, most people live in the online world, and everyone seems to have social anxiety."


    Some people boast impressive social credentials online but instantly developmunication difficulties offline. It goes without saying, nowadays the former is moremon.


    Drumming his fingertips on the desk, Xu Shuo pondered and said, "What I mean is, we develop both offline and online, making a game software for Scripted Murder Games, the kind even people with social anxiety can y."


    "We can give it a try," Li Ziwen nodded, "There aren''t many games of this new type, we can take advantage of it not yet being popr and seize the market."


    "If that''s decided, then let''s get started on development," the others said with a shrug, concluding the meeting simply and swiftly establishing a new project amidst their sarcastic remarks.


    "Right, let''s hurry up and get the money from Ms. Wang," Xu Shuo said, tossing the contract to Pei Sheng.


    As their studio gradually gained traction, Boss Wang had always been scheming to buy out the whole studio. The reason behind this was that the Pei Family wanted Pei Sheng, the heir, toe home sooner rather thanter to take over the family fortune, but they felt awkward about suppressing him openly.


    The practice of cutting off funds and credit is no longer fashionable among the wealthy, after all, the Pei Family also wanted Pei Sheng to make his own way, which just happened to coincide with Xu Shuo being short of money.


    After establishing the new game project, the others returned to their stations and began working, while Xu Shuo slumped in his office chair and rubbed his temples.


    After all, he had not slept at allst night.


    He had already been up all night dealing with matters in the real world, and then in the afternoon, he was forced to stay up half the night in the virtual world¡ªalthough it wasn''t real, he still felt a bit tired mentally.


    In other words, he felt as if his body had been hollowed out.


    Speaking of which, why was there nothing after the game ended, for instance, some kind of reward or a personal dashboard?


    It looked like he had alreadypleted his Character Card tasks.


    Xu Shuo was propping up his chin, thinking about this, when suddenly, a half-transparent book with a swish opened up in front of him, listing his personal information.


    In an instant, it jolted the sleepy Xu Shuo wide awake.


    The half-transparent book resembled the one he had seen in the game, but there was no Scripted Murder Game title on the cover, and the first page no longer disyed "Zhang Shou''s" personal information, but instead had "Xu Shuo''s" name.


    This format gave a strange illusion, as if the real world he was currently in was also a part of a Scripted Murder Game.


    Xu Shuo smiled and saw there was even an option to set a personal signature beneath his avatar, so he wrote the phrase "I think, therefore I am."


    So how does this feel like a socialworking app?


    After casually editing his personal information settings, Xu Shuo clicked to turn the page, and then saw the shining words "Rainy Night Vi."


    [Click to im.]


    [Based on your performance results in this Scripted Murder Game, you have received the following rewards: ''Zhang Shou'' Character Card, with a performance score of 1220.]


    ```


    That''s it?


    That''s it?!


    Where''s the superpower?


    Xu Shuo, somewhat dissatisfied, tapped on the Character Card.


    A game card of fine quality spun into view, depicting a youth wearing a chef''s outfit, a faint smile on his face as he looked towards the camera, holding a green potion bottle in his hand¡ªbearing a slight resemnce to Xu Shuo.


    Below the card was a description of the ability.


    [Zhang Shou Character Card: When transformed into a chef, can poison any edible item with a one hundred percent sess rate.]


    Xu Shuo: "???"


    Although he didn''t know exactly how to achieve this ability, since the system imed the probability was one hundred percent, didn''t that mean he could kill anyone he wanted?


    However, he had only yed the role of the murderer once, so it wasn''t likely he would always be the murderer, was it?


    He didn''t need to eliminate his opponents every time, did he?


    Xu Shuo felt like he had received an underwhelming skill. When he first drew this Character Card, he had thought it woulde with some amazing enhancement.


    After checking the Character Card, Xu Shuo turned his attention to the performance value, but no matter how he clicked, there was no change.


    But this thing couldn''t just be for scoring purposes, there must be functionalities that haven''t been unlocked yet. Earlier, when the game started, the system seemed to have mentioned that they were in a tutorial theater for beginners.


    Xu Shuo continued to tap the book, turning pages. After "Rainy Night Vi," the next page was nk, save for a few lines of text:


    [Resting, the next theater will open its passage after 22:03.]


    The time continued to count down.


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo didn''t give it further attention and, after casually inspecting the transparent book, tried to close the panel.


    Feeling still somewhat under the weather, he hung his head and rubbed his temples, then suddenly looked up to see Pei Sheng walking over and saying, "So, did you stay up all night again?"


    "No, staying up harms the body, so I pulled an all-nighter instead," Xu Shuo said.


    In the real world, it was the middle of the night, and coupled with the game''s night-time, it roughly added up to a whole night.


    Pei Sheng: "¡­I hope you don''t die suddenly. Also, I just looked for a location for the store. The geography of Heiyu District is pretty suitable. There''s a popr street nearby that young people and tourists frequently visit for fun and photos."


    Xu Shuo looked at him, "It''s you who goes there often, right?"


    "That''s not important. I have a friend who found out that a few shops can''t continue operating and are looking for someone to take over their leases. Wanna check them out?" said Pei Sheng, gesturing with his phone.


    "Let''s go," Xu Shuo acquiesced, rising from his seat.


    ¡­


    The two drove to Heiyu District, and Xu Shuo bought a cup of coffee on the way to perk up.


    The recently popr Scripted Murder Game could also be considered an inte sensation. If well executed, it can enjoy long-term sess; but if not, it res up for a moment, much like the fleeting fame of the shops on the inte-famousmercial street that frequently change hands.


    Xu Shuo visited three shops in a row, and ultimately chose a beverage shop located at the end of the street. The deserted second floor above was also rented, intending to partition it into several small roomster on.


    This shop likely couldn''t continue because there were too manypeting inte-famous milk tea shops on this street, and it was stuck in a sorry corner.


    Xu Shuo was surveying the surrounding street when suddenly, he saw two girls queuing up at a milk tea shop not far away.


    "What are you looking at? A beauty?" Pei Sheng popped up beside him.


    "Xu Xi."


    "Oh, your sister?" Pei Sheng thought for a moment, his eyes lit up: "Then I''ll go ask her¡­ to get her friend''s WeChat for me!"


    Xu Shuo grabbed him at once.

 Chapter 31: Chapter 28 Formal Assessment

    After buying drinks, the two were walking down the street when suddenly Xu Xi felt a sensation and looked back, but she saw nothing amidst the bustling crowd.


    "Xixi, hurry up, it''s almost time for our appointment¡ªwhat are you looking at?" The girl pulling her said, also turning curiously to look.


    "It felt like something was watching me," Xu Xi said calmly.


    "You''re always so sensitive to being watched. It''s probably just a guy who thought you were pretty and took a second look," the girl said teasingly without much concern and continued to pull her forward.


    Xu Xi also took her gaze back and turned to enter the narrow staircase situated at the corner of the street.


    ...


    Not far away, Pei Sheng read the sign hanging on the second floor word by word: "Fengdu...escape room? That''s an interesting name."


    Xu Shuo said indifferently, "Haven''t you ever yed before?"


    "Haven''t yed in this ce," he said.


    The narrow staircase at the corner of the street was so inconspicuous, one could easily miss it, clearly a case of not being able to afford the expensive rent for a prime location. The inside was probably just average too, not fitting for the affluent identity of Pei Sheng!


    Xu Shuo took his gaze back as well and turned to say, "Let''s go back, we have settled on the new project, and there are a lot of things to be done in the studio."


    "Eh? Aren''t we going to say hello and y together? If they get stuck in the escape room, we could help out," Pei Sheng mored from behind.


    "No," Xu Shuo said, "It''s not worthy of your status."


    Pei Sheng: "..."


    Does this guy have Mind Reading Technique?


    ...


    After returning to the studio, the two quickly dove back into their busy work.


    Beyond needing a software framework, the most important part of a Scripted Murder Game is the script itself.


    Although they could outsource and purchase scripts, besides filling the game with standard scripts, they also needed good ones to attract yers. Exclusive scripts would be even better, but the studio''s budget wasn''t sufficient, which was pretty awkward.


    The early stages of a project are always tough, but fortunately, the six people in the studio had already gone through numerous difficulties, so their mindset was rtively stable.


    After organizing a batch of suitable scripts, Li Ziwen looked at the document Xu Shuo had created on hisputer and asked, "Are you nning to write a script yourself?"


    Xu Shuo nodded, "Save money."


    It was a strong, irrefutable reason. Li Ziwen ced a stack of documents that would cost them money on his desk.


    Xu Shuo recalled the plot of "Rainy Night Vi" and directly copied it down. Of course, he changed some names and identities slightly, and after altering the script''s name, it could pass as his own!


    Although the script wasn''t very good, as a tutorial for beginners it was quite suitable. There was no reason not to use it.


    At five o''clock the studio closed for the day on time, and Xu Shuo took hisputer home to continue building the general framework of the game,pletely lost in his work.


    It wasn''t until around seven when Xu Xi returned from shopping and found there was no dinner ready that Xu Shuo realized time had slipped past mealtime.


    "Hmm... We haven''t finished the vegetables from lunch, right?" Xu Shuo said.


    "Nope," said Xu Xi emotionlessly as she took the dish out to warm it up. Then, looking at the youth hugging hisputer on the couch, she added, "Aren''t you going to take a break? You look like you''re about to keel over."


    "If you jinx me to death, you won''t have dinner," he retorted.


    "You didn''t make dinner tonight either."


    "..."


    Xu Shuo hastily finished the leftover meal, then sat back down on the sofa to continue working.


    Xu Xi washed the dishes and utensils, returned to her room, and casually started reviewing her textbooks. Around midnight, she peeked at the young man still typing on the keyboard in the living room before turning off the light to sleep.


    Suddenly, the only light left in the living room was the dim glow from theputer, still shining.


    ...


    Xu Shuo fell asleep in a daze, feeling as though his energy had been off all day. Yet, work couldn''t be neglected, so once again he persisted until midnight.


    He didn''t know how much time had passed when suddenly, a buzz of noise reached his ears.


    [You have entered the theater.]


    Upon hearing this somewhat familiar, icy system sound effect, Xu Shuo rubbed his head and lifted it, his gaze still somewhat bewildered as he looked at the white wall in front of him.


    [The Scripted Murder Game, "The Fifth Hospital," is about to begin. You have passed the beginner''s theater beautifully. This game will be an official assessment, and dying in the game equates to death in reality. Please proceed with caution.]


    [Countdown to start: ten, nine, eight, seven...]


    Xu Shuo instantly became alert.


    Aftering to his senses, he surveyed his surroundings before ncing down at his current attire.


    It was a simple office with the scent of disinfectant still lingering in the air, and he was wearing a long white coat that reached his thighs, with an identity namete on the left side of his chest, denoting the position of Chief Doctor at The Fifth Hospital.


    Was he ying the role of a doctor this time?


    Well, cooking he could do, but being a doctor was genuinely out of his league.


    Xu Shuo''s attention turned towards the translucent floating frame in the air, summoning the yer''s Handbook.


    The simted book opened to reveal the title page of "The Fifth Hospital," and the following page contained personal information about the character he was to portray.


    Chen Chu, a doctor.


    The main mission was to kill his own patient.


    Xu Shuo: "...?"


    Wait, a repeat performance?!


    Is there something wrong with this game?!


    It''s one thing for the tutorial to assign a murderer role to a newbie, but to give a murderer''s script for the assessment too, are you trying to cull yers on purpose?


    [The scripted performance of "The Fifth Hospital" begins.]


    As Xu Shuo was internally ranting, the countdown ended, the system prompt sounded once more, and then the door to the office was pushed open.


    A nurse peeked in and said with caution, "Doctor Chen, the patient in room thirteen''s mental state has deteriorated, should we administer today''s medication earlier?"


    Xu Shuo sighed inaudibly, "I know, I''ll go and check on them in a bit."


    "Alright." The nurse responded and then closed the door behind her as she left.


    Still feeling sleep-deprived, Xu Shuo bowed his head, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples. He finished reading the character information and discovered that the patient in room thirteen was his target for murder.


    And the murder weapon was already prepared, the pills that were to be delivered shortly.


    Having to use his identity tomit the murder again, it was like swallowing a date with a pill, wouldn''t it be easier to just go over, stab and run away?


    Then Xu Shuo looked up and noticed a security camera in the corner of the ceiling. It wasn''t strange for hospitals to have cameras.


    It''s just that his office was monitored by cameras on all sides.


    The main mission this time was solely to murder, without an additional task of "hiding oneself after the murder," which probably meant it didn''t matter if he was discovered.


    However, before the game started, the system had stated that dying in the game would equate to dying in reality.


    Xu Shuo caressed the two pills in his hand with an unreadable expression, then pocketed them and stood up to open the door and leave the office.


    He had a sister to take care of outside; dying here was not befitting of his stature.

 Chapter 32: Chapter 29 Took Medicine

    The hospital was quiet and still, different from the tranquil atmosphere of a typical hospital. There were no crying children, no people hurrying with urgency to get medical attention, and certainly no undignified shouting.


    The slightly dimly lit corridor asionally had nurses passing by who would lower their heads courteously to greet him when they walked past him.


    Xu Shuo surveyed theyout of the ce, discreetly searching for room number 13, eager to see what this victim looked like.


    At the end of the long corridor, Xu Shuo finally saw the number "13". Below the room number hung the name of the patient residing in this room: Luo Kun.


    After confirming he had found the right room, Xu Shuo pushed open the door.


    Inside the room, the balcony door was shut tight, and the curtains were closely drawn, making the room extremely dim, lit only by the light streaming in from the corridor.


    In the center of the light beam, a frail-looking young man sitting on the bed with his knees hugged to his chest suddenly looked up.


    Dense and disheveled ck hair partially covered his face. The young man''s expression was obscure, but then a pale face broke into a smile, "Doctor Chu, you''re here."


    Xu Shuo subconsciously nced at his name badge.


    Chen Chu, the name should be correct.


    "The nurse said your mental state isn''t very good," Xu Shuo stepped into the room, turning on the wall lights.


    The moment the bright incandescent light came on, the young man seemed to squint due to difort before stretching his lips into a smile, "Is it time to take medicine?"


    Xu Shuo suddenly leaned in to look at him closely. The young man looked up, meeting his gaze, his dark eyes filled with an innocent and naive look. His body appeared worn and thin from illness, eliciting pity.


    But Xu Shuo had a feeling that something was off about this victim; there was a strange malice emanating from him.


    No matter, he was going to die soon anyway.


    Xu Shuo pulled out some medicine from his pocket, revealing a concerned, gentle smile, "Yes, let''s take the medicine first."


    Without the typical fuss of a patient refusing medication, the young man obediently took the medicine, and following that, Xu Shuo handed him a cup of water.


    He intended to watch him swallow it.


    Just as the young man was about to put the medicine in his mouth, he paused, looking curiously at Xu Shuo with a tilted head and asked, "Doctor Chu, how long will I have to take medicine before I get better?"


    "Let''s see how the next check-up goes." Instead of saying something strange like "you won''t need to take it any longer," Xu Shuo thought for a moment and answered seriously, "If the check-up shows no problems, then you won''t need to take medicine anymore."


    "Alright," the young man smiled, curving his lips.


    He watched Xu Shuo cautiously and slowly ced a pill in his mouth, then another, and lifted the cup to drink a gulp of water with a loud gulp.


    The actions of the young man were slow, so slow that it seemed like a strange ritual, and after the movement in his throat subsided, he opened his mouth towards Xu Shuo, twisted his lips into a smile, and said, "I''ve taken it all."


    Xu Shuo calmly nodded, "Good, taking medicine often makes you sleepy. Rest well for now."


    "Okay," the young man obediently agreed, shifting to lie down and tucking himself in under the covers.


    Xu Shuo turned off the lights and walked out, closing the door behind him.


    Just as he turned around, there stood the nurse who had gone to report earlier, though he hadn''t noticed when she had approached.


    Looking at him with concern, the nurse asked, "Doctor Chen, has Little Kun taken his medicine?"


    Xu Shuo nodded, "He just took it and has gone to sleep now."


    "That''s good," the nurse visibly rxed, a worried face breaking into a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Chen."


    "It''s my duty."


    ...


    ```


    The medication would take effect in about ten minutes.


    Xu Shuo returned to his office and nced at the main mission, thinking it would probably bepleted soon.


    Interestingly, this Scripted Murder Game started without a process to gather yers, leaving him wondering if he was the only yer or if, during the actual game, the yers were not supposed to meet.


    If it was thetter, it would be difficult to guess the identities and missions of other yers.


    Anyway, his mission this time wasn''t too troublesome; he just needed to ensure his own survival after the murder.


    As Xu Shuo pondered these things, he rubbed his temples, not knowing if it was because of too manyte nights, but he constantly felt mentally drained, with asional bouts of brain swelling and pain.


    Moreover, entering the game seemed to be quite a drain on spiritual power.


    He had fallen asleep around midnight and slept until noon, which should be a full eight hours of sleep, so he shouldn''t still feel so listless.


    After this game ended, he should take a day off to avoid actually dying suddenly from carelessness.


    While waiting, Xu Shuo idly flipped through the doctor''s desk and cabs before pulling out a cellphone from a drawer, unlocked it with a fingerprint, and started ying the built-in mini-games.


    After a while, the familiar system prompt sounded.


    [Congrattions onpleting the mission: Kill the patient Luo Kun in ward thirteen.]


    Xu Shuo nced at the tightly closed door, thinking the mission had beenpleted quickly. Without getting Doctor Chu''s Character Card, all that was left was to wait for the game to end?


    Suddenly, a piercing scream rang out, followed by a flurry of hurried footsteps and noisymotion outside the door.


    Had they discovered the death so quickly?


    Xu Shuo paused, rose to his feet, opened the door, and stepped out to look at the chaotic corridor, casually grabbing a nurse who was running by.


    "What happened?" he asked.


    "Ah!" The nurse startled, then pointing cautiously towards the distance, whispered fearfully, "The¡­ the patient from ward thirteen, just now someone found him lying in the stairwell, bleeding so much¡­"


    "...What?" Xu Shuo froze.


    Wasn''t there something off about this death?


    He turned and quickly walked towards the scene, but the next moment, he felt an intense dizziness wash over his brain, and Xu Shuo staggered, leaning against the wall for support.


    "Doctor Chen!" The nurse behind him came up anxiously to support him, asking in concern, "Doctor Chen, what''s wrong? You should sit down inside first."


    Xu Shuo, pressing his head, felt a throbbing, heavy feeling in his brain, as if something inside was squeezing and trying to get out.


    He had only been staying upte recently, so a sudden death wasn''t expected, especially not in the game.


    The nurse hastily helped him back into the office, then looked at him cautiously and asked, "Doctor Chen, do you have a headache? That¡­ have you taken your medication today?"


    Xu Shuo, still holding his head: "¡­?"


    He suddenly looked up, startling the concerned nurse who had moved in close to ask.


    The nurse stepped back two steps, looked at the desk, and then picked up a white bottle without abel from the table, pouring out two pills, she quickly went for a cup of water, and finally presented it to him.


    The nurse looked on worriedly and said softly, "Doctor Chen, if you''re feeling unwell, you should take your medicine first."


    Xu Shuo: "¡­"


    He suddenly felt that this scene was very familiar.


    ```

 Chapter 33: Chapter 30 Dead, Not Completely Dead

    Something''s not right!


    There''s definitely something wrong with this game!


    With a heavy head, Xu Shuo thought that ever since he entered the game, his mental state had seemed a bit off.


    If this was the influence of the character itself, then what kind of game would this be?


    Analyzing from the perspective of a Scripted Murder Game, unless it was a psychopathic killer, there would always be a reason for the murderer to kill.


    Just as Zhang Shou sought revenge on Mr. Guo to avenge his sister, to fully restore the true story during the game, the murderer needed a reason to kill.


    What was Chen Chu''s reason for killing Luo Kun?


    Because he hadn''t triggered the Character Card task, Xu Shuo only got some basic information¡ªChen Chu''s gender, age, and the fact that he was the chief physician at The Fifth Hospital, currently only in charge of Luo Kun, his murder target, and the medication was already prepared.


    Even less than the initial information about Zhang Shou.


    Just a little less, perhaps.


    Xu Shuo recalled the time he went to administer the medication; it shouldn''t have been ten minutes yet. Even if Luo Kun had died prematurely due to poor constitution, there was still a more pressing issue that he couldn''t shake off¡ª


    He wasn''t supposed to die in the stairwell!


    And what the hell was with all the blood spilled there?


    Who secretly did what he had been nning to do, dragging the target out and stabbing him to death?


    The more he pondered these things, the more his head throbbed with pain. Xu Shuo held his forehead, breathing somewhat rapidly.


    "Doctor Chen! Doctor Chen!"


    The nurse''s call rang out like thunder by his ear; he slightly came to his senses, turned his head, and saw that the nurse had the medication in her hand and leaned in with concern, "Doctor Chen, you don''t seem to be doing very well right now, take this medication first."


    So why did he also have to take medication?


    Xu Shuo spread his thoughts, could it be that the plot of this Scripted Murder Game was a clich¨¦ story where the patients and doctors swapped identities, and he was actually the real patient?


    And then, to avoid taking medication, he killed "Doctor" Luo Kun?


    No, the identity on the yer''s Handbook should be correct¡ªif it wasn''t intentionally setting up a text trap.


    "Tsk..." Xu Shuo muttered irritably, bowing his head.


    "Doctor Chen, you..." At this point, the nurse''s concerned voice also began to hesitate, revealing a strange sense of eeriness as she again softly said, "Doctor Chen, please take your medication quickly."


    Xu Shuo looked up at her, took the white pills and water from her hands, and said, "Wait a moment, what just happened outside?"


    Upon hearing this, the nurse, looking worried, said, "The other doctors will handle it, Doctor Chen. You are not in good shape right now; you should quickly take your medication."


    She repeated it again, speaking very slowly, as if coaxing him gently, yet her gaze remained fixed on Xu Shuo, as if she would wait right there until he swallowed the pills.


    Xu Shuo, watching her, ced the two pills in his mouth, then took a sip of water and swallowed them down.


    Seeing this, the nurse''s expression immediately rxed, and she said, "You might feel a bit drowsy after taking the medication, Doctor Chen. You should rest for a while, others will take care of what''s happening outside."


    Listening to these familiar words, Xu Shuo: "..."


    If he remembered correctly, just now he had said the same thing to his patient, and now the patient was mysteriously dead outside.


    With a gentle smile on her face, the nurse left the office and even helped him close the door.


    After sitting and holding his head for a while, Xu Shuo suddenly stood up and went to the restroom on the balcony.


    He shut the door, looked up to make sure there were no shockingly insane concealed cameras, then opened his mouth and spat out the pills hidden under his tongue, afterwards rinsing his mouth out with water.


    After doing all this, Xu Shuo returned calmly to the office, sat on the chair, and closed his eyes, pretending to be drowsy from the medication.


    Although in fact, his brain did feel rather foggy.


    The noise outside had gradually ceased, and the urgent footsteps that had been running back and forth were now nowhere to be heard; the hospital fell back into silence.


    ...


    Xu Shuo felt that he had once again drifted off into a groggy sleep. By the time he opened his eyes again, his mind wasn''t as slow.


    In front of him was still the white wall, an office of moderate size, with the air filled with the faint scent of disinfectant. He remained seated in the office chair.


    After taking in his surroundings out of habit, Xu Shuo''s gazended on the desk in front of him, and he picked up the unmarked medicine bottle.


    Unscrewing the cap, inside were indeed those white pills the nurse had given him earlier.


    Actually, since this bottle of pills was left so openly on his desk, it could very well be a medication frequently taken by Chen Chu, so it wasn''t necessarily problematic. But Xu Shuo couldn''t shake the feeling that something was amiss.


    It was probably because of the eerie sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu from when the nurse fed him the medicine earlier.


    After looking at the medication, Xu Shuo summoned the yer''s Handbook, wanting to check if the end time for the storyline had refreshed.


    However, the next moment, he was abruptly taken aback.


    [Main Mission: Kill the patient Luo Kun in Room 13], unfinished status.


    Unfinished?!


    After a moment of stupor, Xu Shuo abruptly stood up. The chair scraped across the floor with a grating noise. He turned and walked out from behind the desk, pulling open the door to look outside.


    The hospital corridor was slightly dim, eerily silent.


    It wasn''t because there were no people moving about. Instead, the nurses kept their movements very quiet. There were no sounds of children crying, nor the hurried footsteps of patients rushing to seek medical attention.


    "Doctor Chen!"


    Suddenly, a nurse appeared from around the left corner, her face marked with anxiousness as she jogged over to him.


    Xu Shuo looked at her, recognizing her as the nurse who hade over at the start of the game to inform him that a patient''s condition was unstable.


    "What''s wrong?" Xu Shuo asked calmly.


    "It''s time for medication, but the patient from Room 13 has gone missing. We can''t find him. Look at this..." the nurse said, her voiceden with worry.


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    If he remembered correctly, he had already delivered the medicine to the patient in Room 13 earlier, and the man had inexplicably died in the stairwell.


    So what was the situation now?


    Time... started over?


    Was that why his mission had changed to an unfinished status?


    "Doctor Chen?" The nurse''s tentative call once again rang in his ear, as she cautiously looked at the young doctor in front of her.


    Xu Shuo snapped back from his thoughts, speaking indifferently, "I understand. I''ll go take a look right now."


    With that said, he closed the office door and turned to walk toward the far end of the corridor.


    This time, Xu Shuo found Room 13 with practiced ease. Pushing open the door, he was confronted with an extremely dim room, lit only by the light from the corridor shining through the crack of the door.


    The room was silent; there wasn''t a soul in sight.


    Where did he vanish to?


    A peculiar irritation welled up within Xu Shuo, and the next moment he felt a dull ache in his brain. He rubbed his temples and turned to look towards the fire exit at the end of the hallway.


    Recalling the conversation from thest round, Xu Shuo walked over and pulled open the heavy fire door, then saw a young man curled up in the corner of the stairwell.


    The creaking noise from the door caused the young man to abruptly lift his head and look over.


    Upon seeing the doctor at the door, Luo Kun''s mouth broke into a broad smile, his pale face lit up brilliantly. "Doctor Chu, you''re here..."


    Xu Shuo did not respond, instead standing quietly, his gaze loftily fixed on the boy crouching on the ground, his expression dim and unreadable.


    The other side, after greeting him, fell silent too, tilting his head in what seemed to be puzzlement.


    They locked eyes for a long while until Xu Shuo reached into his pocket.


    The medication was gone.

 Chapter 34: Chapter 31 Doctor Chu

    "It''s time for your medication, hurry back to the ward."


    Xu Shuo retracted his hand without touching the poison, and after he said this calmly, he did nothing more to the teenager but turned around and left, running into the nurse who hade to deliver a second message to him.


    Behind him, Luo Kun, who was crouching in the stairwell, watched his retreating figure with a puzzled look in his eyes.


    At that moment, the nurse ran to the stairwell, relieved to see the boy, and cautiously said, "Little Kun, what are you doing here? Let''s hurry back to the ward, okay?"


    Speaking softly, the nurse tentatively stepped forward and, seeing that Luo Kun did not show any signs of resistance, immediately stepped up to help the boy up.


    With the boy back in the ward, Xu Shuo also returned to his own office.


    Sitting in his office chair, feeling somewhat weary, he rubbed his forehead and summoned the yer''s Handbook, ncing again at the task.


    Xu Shuo wasn''t quite sure if this bizarre Scripted Murder Game involved any spacetime theories, but even though he had just taken a nap, he was well aware that he wasn''t dreaming.


    If it were a dream, the system should have given him the prompt to "Enter the Theatre" again when he first opened his eyes.


    Yet now, the system''spleted tasks could actually revert to iplete status.


    It seemed that the key point of the task was not "he killed Luo Kun," but "whether Luo Kun was dead or not."


    Since Luo Kun was not dead, the task remained iplete.


    After resting his head for a while, Xu Shuo reopened his eyes, picked up an unmarked medicine bottle from the desk, poured out two pills, and then pocketed them before heading out.


    Ward number thirteen.


    Xu Shuo pushed open the door, inside the ward, the curtains were still tightly drawn over the windows, and the unlit room was dim and oppressive.


    Luo Kun was sitting on the bed reading a book, looking up at the sound of the door opening, although it was a mystery how he could read in such a dark environment.


    "Take your medicine," said Xu Shuo without turning on the light, picking up the thermos to pour a ss of water and handing it over.


    "Alright, Doctor Chu." The boy was still very obedient, a smile permanently on his lips, as he took the medication and water from him.


    "Swallow it," Xu Shuo watched him quietly.


    Luo Kun nced at the two pills lying in his palm, then back at Xu Shuo, and tilting his head, he asked, "Doctor Chu, this medicine seems different from what I''ve been taking before. Have I been switched to a new prescription?"


    "Mm-hmm," Xu Shuo made an affirmative sound and said, "Your condition has improved, so the dosage has been reduced."


    "That''s great!"


    The boy showed no objections to this announcement, his face lighting up with a bright smile as he swiftly swallowed the pills and then opened his mouth to Xu Shuo to show he had taken them.


    "Good," Xu Shuo nodded in approval, then asked, "What book are you reading?"


    Luo Kun turned the dim cover of the book toward him, smiling ingratiatingly, "A collection of short stories by Robert A. Heinlein."


    Xu Shuo pulled over a stool to sit at the bedside, took the book from his hand, and while opening it said, "You might feel a little drowsy after taking the medicine. Rest for a bit; I''m not sure if the new medication will have any side effects, so I''ll stay here and read."


    Caught off guard by the sudden loss of his book, the boy paused for a moment, then obediently scooted into the bed and pulled the covers over himself, saying with an obliging smile, "Alright."


    After speaking, he closed his eyes andy motionless on the bed as if falling into instant sleep.


    Suddenly, the entire dim room fell into silence, so quiet that only faint breathing could be heard. A narrow beam of light nted in from the slightly ajar door, dividing the bedspread in two.


    It was eerily quiet outside too; the hospital seemed dead silent as if only this ce had some semnce of life.


    Xu Shuo quietly turned the pages of the book, reading for a good while¡ªnearly half an hour had passed, and the system still had not sent him a prompt that he hadpleted the task.


    Half an hour had passed, and the medicine that had been held in his mouth should have dissolved by then, most probably it wasn''t poison.


    In the end, Xu Shuo carefully ced his fingertip on the young boy''s exposed wrist, felt the strong pulse beating, closed the book, and stood up to leave the sickroom.


    The door clicked gently shut behind him, and after he left, the boy who had been lying on the hospital bed like a dead person suddenly opened his eyes.


    A pair of eyes in the dim room seemed eerily bright, he tilted his head in confusion as he looked at the closed door, then lifted his finger to his mouth, somewhat stiffly fishing around inside it.


    The next moment, his finger paused.


    "Dissolved..."


    ...


    After Xu Shuo left the sickroom, he headed towards his office.


    However, as though at the same moment, his brain suddenly began to throb dully, as if something was squeezing, trying toe out, making his breathing feel sluggish.


    Was it around the same time before?


    Xu Shuo tried to maintain his normal condition, but the dizziness came like a fierce storm, and just as he reached the door of his office, he staggered, only avoiding a fall by bracing himself against the wall.


    If he couldn''t hold out, then what followed was¡ª


    "Doctor Chen!"


    The familiar, caring shout rang out as the nurse who had fed him the medicine before came around the corner and, seeing his state, approached with worry to ask, "Doctor Chen, are you alright?"


    Xu Shuo shook his head, speaking in a low voice, "I''m fine."


    Yet hearing him say this, the nurse didn''t rx at all, instead her expression turned strange, and she asked cautiously, "Doctor Chen, do you have a headache? Have you taken your medicine today?"


    This time, Xu Shuoplied amiably, "No, I will take it now."


    The nurse opened the door to the office, helped him to sit on the office chair, then, just like before, picked up the medicine from the desk and poured out two pills, even considerately pouring him some water.


    "Doctor Chen, please take your medicine quickly," the nurse urged earnestly.


    "Alright." Xu Shuo took the pills and drank the water to swallow them down.


    Seeing this, the nurse quickly showed a smile, "Doctor Chen, you might feel a bit drowsy after taking the medicine, you should rest a bit."


    Xu Shuo nodded and said nothing, and after the nurse closed the door behind her, he rolled the pill around under his tongue, hesitated for a long while, but still pushed the pill to the back of his throat and slowly swallowed it.


    Nothing happened after he swallowed the pill, and his head stopped hurting, but the drowsy feeling did not abate.


    Xu Shuo took out his cellphone from the drawer and opened a small game to pass the time; he wanted to keep himself somewhat alert, but as time passed, his consciousness inevitably began to blur.


    Finally ncing at the time on his phone, Xu Shuo, with his heavy head, took out a pen and wrote down the current time on paper: 1405.


    ...


    [Congrattions to the yer for triggering the character task: Chen Chu.]


    Xu Shuo, who had been lying with his head on the table, suddenly raised his head, his eyes showing neither vacuity nor sleepiness. He surveyed the surroundings, and then looked down.


    Beneath his arm, there was a piece of paper with a strange string of digits written on it, like a time.


    The young man tapped to wake the cellphone lying beside him, 14:06.


    Looking at the time, a bizarre smile suddenly picked the corners of his mouth, revealing a chilling touch of sinister smugness.

 Chapter 35: Chapter 32: Scoring Three Goals

    Xu Shuo walked to the bathroom and tidied up his hair and clothes in the mirror. Then, he opened the cab under the washstand, reached up with his palm, and pulled out a fruit knife from thepartment.


    The young man looked at the sharp de and smiled with satisfaction before slipping it into his pocket and walking out.


    He left the office, taking rxed andfortable steps towards the ward at the end of the corridor. Passing by a certain room, Xu Shuo suddenly stopped and listened intently.


    The room''s door was closed, and although the hospital had good soundproofing, it didn''t stop the young man from hearing voices inside.


    "Director, I think Doctor Chen''s condition seems to be getting more serious. Do you think maybe we should¡­" This was a timid female voice.


    Immediately after, someone else spoke; it appeared to be the director mentioned by the woman, his voice steady and deep: "I''m aware. I will keep an eye on it. It''s just that Doctor Chen has worked at our hospital for so long. Let me think about it some more."


    "Okay¡­" The woman''s voice carried a hint of disappointment.


    Then, the two of them quietly discussed other patients in the hospital, noting that many patients'' mental states had be increasingly unstable for some unknown reason recently.


    After hearing those initial words, Xu Shuo shrugged his shoulders, his face still wearing a gentle smile, and continued toward Ward 13.


    The white door of the ward was closed tight. Xu Shuo grasped the doorknob, feeling a trace of chill.


    Hospitals, even without air conditioning, tend to feel cool, let alone this deep area of the hospital, where the corridor had no windows facing outside¡ªjust wards and offices on both sides.


    The young man pressed down on the door handle and pushed the door open.


    He stood in the doorway, scanning the ward, and saw the bed''s nket thrown back, but spotted no one in the dark room.


    But then, as the young man stepped into the ward, he turned to look behind the door only to find a teenager in the corner, staring intently at him with a radiant smile slowly spreading across his face.


    In the dark setting, the unnaturally bright eyes would catch anyone off guard behind the door. A normal person would probably get scared.


    But Xu Shuo simply looked at him expressionlessly and reached into his pocket.


    The next moment, the teenager shoved him hard, flung open the ajar door, and bolted out crazily.


    He vanished in an instant, and as Xu Shuo, who staggered momentarily, steadied himself, he watched the teenager flee with a gentle smile on his expressionless face.


    Xu Shuo stepped out of the ward, following calmly behind. The corridor was quiet, strangely devoid of patrolling nurses at the moment.


    The long corridor had the elevator of the hospital building situated in the center.


    After running out, the teenager chose to open the fire door at the end of the corridor, trying to escape down the stairs. However, Luo Kun, perhaps too nervous, tripped while descending and fell hard onto the staircase below.


    By this time, the doctor following him had alsoe over. He stood in the doorway, looking down at the teenager crumpled on the stairs.


    "Little Kun, why didn''t you take your medicine obediently?" the young man asked softly.


    "Doctor Chu¡­" Luo Kun forced a smile, his pale face flushing sickly as he continued moving into the corner in an attempt to hide, the strange smile still on his face.


    "If you don''t take your medicine, we''ll just have to find another way to cure you."


    Xu Shuo approached him and drew the blood-stained fruit knife he had kept in the pocket of his white coat.


    Luo Kun''s gaze faltered for a moment, and then the sharp knife plunged into his belly and was swiftly pulled out again. The teenager grunted, clutching the bleeding wound as he copsed.


    The young man squatted in front of him, still concerningly asking, "How about it? Didn''t I tell you it''s better to take the medicine?"


    Luo Kun bowed his head, his shoulders trembling slightly as he let out a suppressed, hoarse, and bizarreugh. The next moment, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the young man''s shoulder tightly with his bloodstained hand, leaving several bloody marks on his white coat.


    "Doctor Chu, you can''t kill me!" he said, staring intensely at the young man, his voice almost distorted.


    The doctor''s response was to stab him a few more times.


    The youth, who originally had a warm and gentle appearance, now looked extraordinarily twisted and fierce. As he watched the boy endure the pain, he relentlessly stabbed him over and over with a knife, a delighted smile on his lips.


    Finally, he left the boy, who was too weak to speak, in the stairwell, got up, casually wiped the still-dripping fruit knife on his white coat, and left the area.


    He entered the restroom across the way and carefully washed the bloodstains on his white coat with water, but the stains soaked into the fabric could not be washed clean.


    After a while, suddenly came the shrill screams of a nurse from outside, immediately followed by various panicked and hasty footsteps. In an instant, the originally silent hospital became very noisy.


    The youth, who was washing clothes, frowned and looked at the fruit knife beside him.


    ...


    ...


    Time passed, and the hospital once again returned to silence, as quiet as if utterly lifeless.


    At this moment, in Ward No. 8.


    The girl who snapped open her eyes quickly sat up, nced around the environment, then got out of bed to pull open the curtain and look outside.


    "Damn it!"


    The girl couldn''t help but blurt out a curse, and the next moment, the irritation rising in her mind made her continue to swear, "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it..."


    This ce was still the ward, this was still The Fifth Hospital!


    Clutching her head, the girl paced back and forth in the ward, trying to take deep breaths, repeatedly, until the agitation in her chest eased.


    Once calm, she looked towards the midair, where the yer''s Handbook opened like a book, and the main quest "Escape The Fifth Hospital" had reverted to an upleted status.


    Seeing the quest, she immediately lost her calm again, "Damn it! I''ve escaped twice now! Twice!"


    And now, inexplicably, she was back in the hospital again!


    The hospital''s time had looped twice!


    After furiously kicking the hospital bed several times and feeling the rage about to burst from her chest, the girl quickly took the medicine from the bedside table, poured out two pills, and swallowed them.


    If you''re sick, you take medicine.


    Though she wasn''t ill, this character, this body was.


    When yers entered the game, they essentially became the character itself.


    Once again slightly calmed, the girl set her face in thought, "This won''t do, it seems I must find the cause of this time loop here, or I''ll neverplete the task!"


    "So annoying, in the end, I still have to recreate the storyline of the script!"


    The girl, angered, threw her medicine bottle in her hand, and it hit the bedside table with a tter, knocking over a cup on top, which made a crisp sound as it fell to the ground.


    Soon, the noise in the room attracted a nurse toe and check.


    The closed door of the hospital ward opened, and a nurse dressed in stark white walked in, asking with concern, "Tao, what''s wrong, are you not feeling well?"


    While speaking, the nurse surveyed the room and then went to pick up the cup and medicine bottle from the ground, looking at the girl''s gloomy and pale face, then approached and said softly, "Let me know if you need anything."


    The girl maintained her character''s persona and shouted discontentedly, "I''m hungry!"


    Upon hearing this, the nurse smiled gently and said, "Okay, I''ll get you some dessert. You wait here for me toe back."


    The girl snorted and nodded.


    Patients are actually quite easy to appease; as long as you indulge them, it''s simple. After the nurse left, she also conveniently hung the chain lock outside the room door.

 Chapter 36: Chapter 33: Third Time Around

    The quiet office was suddenly disturbed when the door burst open.


    An anxious-looking nurse walked in, and when she saw the person sleeping on the desk, she lightened her steps, cautiously approaching before gently calling out.


    "Doctor Chen?"


    The young man lying down moved his eyebrows slightly, then lifted his head, his eyes revealing a momentary confusion before suddenly sharpening.


    His abrupt change of expression startled the nurse beside him; she carefully took two steps back and tentatively asked, "Doctor Chen?"


    Xu Shuo collected his gaze, looked at the nurse who had twice brought him messages, and sighed imperceptibly before responding, "Yes, it''s me. What is it?"


    "Well... the mental state of the patient in room thirteen has deteriorated. Do you think we should administer today''s medication ahead of schedule?" the nurse asked with continued caution.


    This was already the third time.


    "Understood, I''ll go have a look in a bit," Xu Shuo agreed amiably.


    The nurse nodded, then exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.


    ...


    After she left, Xu Shuo leaned back in his chair, staring nkly at the dull ceiling for a while before summoning the yer''s Handbook.


    Looking at the newly issued Character Card, Xu Shuo tapped on it.


    [Warning: This Character Card contains risks. epting all character information may affect the host. It is possible toplete the Character Card tasks without epting character information.]


    The system actually issued a warning.


    Xu Shuo pressed "Confirm" without hesitation.


    In an instant, the Doctor card, human-like in appearance, transformed into a beam of light that shot into his mind, cramming his brain with a clutter of information.


    Xu Shuo furrowed his brow; he felt as if another consciousness was trying to invade his brain. This erosion, like pollution, was usually imperceptible but could subtly alter one''s behavior over time.


    If you were keenly aware of this change and resisted it, then it would lead to¡ªschizophrenia.


    So, the person who wanted to kill Luo Kun was indeed another personality of Chen Chu.


    It was a rather ordinary story of a doctor and a psychiatric patient. Because of his treatment of patient number thirteen, Luo Kun, Chen Chu inadvertently ended up driving himself mad, and the new personality that emerged wanted to simply kill Luo Kun to solve all problems.


    The Character Card''s wish was quite special too, both wanting to continue treating Luo Kun and wanting to kill him.


    Goodness, even as a Character Card, these two personalities are still at odds, thought Xu Shuo as he massaged his forehead.


    Perhaps, he could kill Luo Kun while treating him?


    Besides, there is another more critical issue¡ªif the role you y is ill, does it really equate to "oneself also being ill"?


    The medication on the table was prescribed by Chen Chu for himself, but it had been secretly reced by another personality with something simr; now they were just jelly beans.


    No wonder they tasted too sweet to him when he tried them before; they dissolved too quickly under his tongue.


    Since the former Doctor Chen always swallowed the pills with warm water, he hadn''t realized the problem, which caused his condition to worsen gradually.


    And the "first round" of medication prepared for Luo Kun, originally a regr medicine, had been switched by Doctor Chu to poison.


    The reason for doing this, apart from trying to kill his own patient, was to watch the reaction of his other personality upon learning that he had poisoned a patient to death, hoping it would lead directly to a mental breakdown incapable of resistance, thus allowing Doctor Chu to take over.


    Xu Shuo sighed. He felt as if there were now three personalities inside this body.


    Personalities of a patient with multiple personality disorder tend to be peculiar and rtively independent.


    This meant that Doctor Chu''s personality still existed, and so did Chen Chu''s personality, although it was more peaceable and detached.


    No wonder he always felt something was wrong after entering the game, because an unusual line of thinking was affecting his judgment all along¡ªDoctor Chu''s personality was very powerful, and inevitably, Xu Shuo was somewhat influenced by it.


    Especially after seeing Luo Kun, that reaction would be increasingly intense, which is why he always felt a headache after leaving Ward 13.


    Because the other personality wanted toe out and have fun.


    ...


    Xu Shuo knocked on his somewhat peculiar head, took a sugar bean from the table and ate it, then identally knocked the medicine bottle onto the floor as he let go.


    He squatted down to pick up the sugar beans, then walked to the bathroom and fetched a small, carefully maintained fruit knife from thepartment in the vanity cab. After looking at the sharp tip of the knife, Xu Shuo still slipped it into his pocket.


    It''s not bad to have something for self-defense, that kid is not easy to deal with either.


    Afterward, Xu Shuo left the office, not heading to Ward 13 but going to the pharmacy on the other side.


    The pharmacist was surprised to see him, "Doctor Chen? ¡ª Is your medication running out?"


    "Yeah, get me some thioxanthene drugs," Xu Shuo said calmly.


    "I remember you just..." the pharmacist began as he turned to sort through the drugs, asking nonchntly, curious if the doctor had increased his dosage.


    "I identally dropped them on the floor just now."


    Hearing these words, the pharmacist immediately clutched his chest,menting, "Doctor Chen, you should know our hospital has always been a bit strapped for cash, I hope you can be more careful next time."


    Xu Shuo nodded apologetically, "I will."


    After getting the medication, Xu Shuo made his way to Ward 13.


    As he passed a certain ward, he saw a nurse carrying in a few slices of cake. In Chen Chu''s memory, the patient in Ward 8 had hyperthymia and needed to eat sweets to calm down.


    And still didn''t put on weight.


    Thinking about this, Xu Shuo arrived in front of Ward 13 and expertly turned on the light.


    "Doctor Chu." The young man sitting on the bed and reading looked up, a strange smile appeared on his pale face as he gazed at him.


    It was as if he was looking at an interesting toy.


    You can''t judge by this kid''s obedient appearance; he actually has antisocial personality disorder. Since being hospitalized, he has gone through three doctors, and even Doctor Chen had been driven mad by him.


    Xu Shuo didn''t waste any words. He took out the newly prescribed medication and gave two pills to him, considerately poured a cup of water, and then helped himself to two pills as well.


    The young man, who had just been handed the cup, paused for a moment at this action.


    "I''m tasting the medication to see if it''s sweet for you," Xu Shuo lied calmly, taking the book from his nket and sitting on a chair beside the bed. He continued, "Eat up and get some sleep. I''ll read for a while here."


    Luo Kun was dumbstruck for quite a while, staring as he slowly swallowed the pills in his hand, then once again, as before, opened his mouth to him in a gesture.


    "Doctor Chu, I''ve taken my medicine."


    "Good, sleep now."


    Xu Shuo, without looking away from his book, listened to the sporadic movements beside him. The ward lit by the light looked somewhat pale.


    ...


    This time, he was determined to figure out how exactly time was bing disordered.


    In his memory, Doctor Chu had already killed Luo Kun twice, but each time time would reset, and his task flip-flopped between pleted" and "iplete".


    Thus, "having killed" can turn into an established fact, which meant the odd time loop within the mental hospital before the end of the game needed to be resolved.


    Whether it starts looping because "Luo Kun is dead" or because it is simply time.


    If it''s the former, it means finding the other yers in this Scripted Murder Game.

 Chapter 37: Chapter 34 Going out with a Knife

    Xu Shuo sat for a long while, and even after reaching the time he had recorded previously, the situation didn''t start repeating itself again.


    His head just hurt a bit.


    The not-yet-dead deceasedy in bed, remaining utterly motionless in a regr supine sleeping position from the moment hey down. Had it not been for the steady rhythmic breathing, he would have looked just like a corpse.


    Xu Shuo closed the book, got up with not particrly gentle movements, and left the sickroom after opening the door.


    As soon as the sound of the door closing faded, Luo Kun opened his eyes instantly as always, his bright pupils devoid of sleepiness, looking somewhat eerie in the gloomy and dim room.


    He sat up, cast a long nce at the doorway, and after a while, the corners of his mouth curled into a strange smile.


    ...


    It seems that the issue isn''t with time after all.


    As Xu Shuo walked along the silent corridor, suddenly, he thought he heard something. He moved his feet toward the doorway of the adjacent room.


    "Director, I feel like Doctor Chen''s condition seems to be getting worse. What do you think we should¡­?"


    "Don''t worry, I''m paying attention to this matter. I''ll go check on Doctor Chen in a bit. But you know, Doctor Chen has been working at our hospital for quite some time now."


    "I understand, thank you for your trouble¡­"


    Familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar conversations arose inside the room. Xu Shuo wanted to listen longer, but a nurse carrying a tray had already emerged from the room in front, prompting him to move away from where he had been eavesdropping.


    Xu Shuo nced casually at the nurse and was about to leave when his gaze caught the number above the door of the sickroom.


    Ward eight.


    Xu Shuo paused in his stride.


    Previously when he went to see Luo Kun, he had seen a nurse carrying desserts into ward eight, but it did not seem to be the same nurse as just now.


    With this thought, he turned his head to watch the nurse pass by him and walk ahead.


    The petite nurse, with her head bowed so her expression wasn''t visible, wore a nurse''s cap covering her tied-up hair, revealing the neck beneath, which contrasted with the white cor of her uniform, her pale skin appearing somewhat tempting.


    Making one want to slice it open.


    Xu Shuo withdrew his gaze and massaged his increasingly aching head. He then pulled out some pills from his pocket and dry-swallowed two more.


    Even though the medicine also seemed to be useless.


    Until he could effectively control the emotions of his second personality, he had to avoid letting out the guy who was single-mindedly intent on killing Luo Kun, especially since he now needed to investigate the affairs of the hospital.


    Instead of going back to his own office, Xu Shuo headed for the hospital''s archives.


    Just as he disappeared around the corner, the office from where the conversation hade earlier opened, and a nurse with a worried face came out, followed by a middle-aged man with a warm and humble demeanor.


    He gave the nurse a reassuring nod before heading to Chen Chu''s office.


    Director Zhang opened the door, but the young man wasn''t there. The man paused and quickly summoned his yer''s Handbook to check it.


    The task had not yet shown as failed.


    Hence, he turned immediately and briskly walked toward ward thirteen, a look of urgency on hisposed face as if being a moment too slow would cost a life.


    Upon reaching the door to ward thirteen, Director Zhang pushed it open and peered inside. In the dark and sinister room, the young man was neither missing nor bleeding profusely butying in bed, sound asleep.


    Director Zhang let out a sigh of relief.


    Though in his heart he also wished to eliminate this dangerous individual, unfortunately, the person''s identity was linked to his own task¡ªhe had already inexplicably failed twice before.


    However, this time, he had found the reason causing his tasks to fail.


    Director Zhang closed the door and turned to look down the long corridor. Under the dim and ominous lighting, thirteen wards lined this hallway, housing the only remaining patients in The Fifth Hospital.


    All of them were his targets.


    Not one less!


    Just as Director Zhang was brooding with a heavy aura, suddenly, the hospital''s rm red into action.


    The deathly quiet corridor erupted into noise as several flustered nurses appeared. Upon seeing him, they hurried over, gasping anxiously, "Director, something''s wrong¡ªthe patient from Ward 8 is missing!"


    Director Zhang frowned, "What happened?"


    "Just now, we saw on the camera that she was escorted to the bathroom by a nurse. But after a long wait, only the nurse came out, she didn''t. When we checked, we found the nurse knocked out and the clothes switched¡ªthe patient has escaped the ward!" the nurse reported nervously.


    "She couldn''t have gone far. Seal the main doors and have people look elsewhere," Director Zhang said gravely.


    "Okay!"


    Watching the corridor descend into chaos, Director Zhang''s expression darkened. These incidents hadn''t urred in the previous two iterations¡ªit must be other yers making their moves now.


    And this time, Luo Kun hadn''t died at this point in the timeline. He wondered what the killer was up to now.


    Most likely, they''ve also realized that no matter how many times they''ve tried, they just can''t kill him. In this game, everyone is trapped in the hospital''s bizarre loop.


    ...


    In the hospital''s third-floor archive room.


    The administrator who had been sitting behind the front desk nowy unconscious at the table. Xu Shuo took a nce at him upon entering before surveying the rest of the room.


    In a corner of the archive room, a girl dressed in a nurse''s uniform popped pills while rifling through the files on the bookshelf, with impatience flickering across her face only to be forcefully suppressed.


    The Fifth Hospital was an old psychiatric institution, established during the Republican era and had seen decades since. But since the previous director, the hospital''s management had been on the decline¡ªno patients could properly walk out, and gradually, no new patients were admitted.


    This generation, the old director was bedridden, and without an heir, The Fifth Hospital could very well face the fate of closure.


    Hopefully, the excavator wille tomorrow to take it down.


    This ce is no ce for humans.


    Muttering curses under her breath, the girl chewed on her pills. After finishing with the hospital''s history, she turned to search for the patients'' files.


    But just as her hand touched a folder, suddenly, another hand also reached out and ced itself on top of the folder, covering hers.


    Instantly, a chilling touch shot up from her spine to the crown of her head!


    The girl whipped her head around and, gazing up into the shadowy overhead, the youth''s faint smile appeared somewhat bizarre.


    "What are you doing here, Number Eight?"


    As her eyes widened in shock, the youth lifted his right hand and trailed his fingertips gently over her tensed neck, whispering softly, "All the orderlies outside are looking for you. Don''t be so naughty."


    The girl stood frozen, not daring to move. As he leaned in closer, bending forward, the loose white coat fell forward, and at a nce, she saw the handle peeking out of his pocket: the silhouette of a fruit knife pressed against his ck trousers.


    This guy''s got guts, stashing a knife there without fear of identally slicing his own...


    As the tremor that had just taken her began to fade, the sense of agitation provoking fear in her heart started surfacing. The girl hung her head, her face a mix of emotions, and said, "Doctor, you scared me."


    Xu Shuo withdrew his hand and stood up straight, smiling benignly, "Good, I meant to scare you. Stop running around next time; it''s dangerous outside."


    She saw right through it...


    The girl took a deep, quiet breath to calm herself, pressing down the restlessness in her chest. She was just a frail, underage girl, unable to fight a grown man.


    Let alone a dangerous man who carried a knife!

 Chapter 38: Chapter 35 Per Capita Psychopath

    Xu Shuo released the girl he had pinned against the bookshelf and, without paying further attention to her, walked over to pick up a file and started flipping through it.


    The patients who would appear in the archive room at this hour were either having a mental breakdown or were yers.


    Since Xu Shuo currently needed thetter to help him end the game, he naturally wouldn''t interfere with their mission-rted activities; he hoped even more that they would quicklyplete their tasks.


    The girl in front of him was Tao Tao, currently residing in Ward No.8, female, fifteen years old, a severe case of mania, having gone mad at such a young age.


    But now, she seemed to be keeping herposure quite well.


    After briefly browsing through the various mental illnesses of the first twelve patients, Xu Shuo turned his attention to thest file, Patient No. 13, Luo Kun.


    Antisocial personality disorder, highly aggressive.


    Possibly due to environmental factors, hemitted a major bloody crime that vited ethics and morality at the age of six and was subsequently sent to The Fifth Hospital for treatment after a psychological assessment.


    When the police questioned him at the beginning, the kid calmly said just one sentence, "They asked for it by giving birth to me."


    After more than a decade of treatment, Luo Kun''s mental condition had improved. Although his wild behavior upon admission had driven away three doctors, under Chen Chu''s care, his mentality had gradually improved.


    He had been well-behaved for a year now, and if he could just keep it up a little longer until the order to shut down The Fifth Hospital came through, he would probably be able to be discharged smoothly after the psychiatric evaluation during the transfer.


    Thinking this far, Xu Shuo recalled the strange smile on Luo Kun''s face when he was killed and thought that it would probably be better for him to continue his stay.


    However, the kid seemed to have noticed the cycle of reincarnation in the hospital.


    Could he be a yer?


    So, could a yer be a murder victim as well?


    After all, whether it was the second cycle after time reset or now the third cycle, the nurses appeared unaware of the time resets, only the kid Luo Kun was eerily odd.


    Xu Shuo thought back to the first time he went to poison Luo Kun, and after he woke up, he heard themotion outside; the nurse said Luo Kun was found covered in blood in the stairwell, and he had not died from the poison¡ªit was likely he knew the medicine was poisoned, and afterwards, Doctor Chu had gone to finish the job.


    But in fact, in the memories Xu Shuo had received, Doctor Chu had only stabbed someone once.


    It happened during the second loop; Xu Shuo gave Luo Kun some candy, ate some himself, and then his second personality emerged and killed Luo Kun in the stairwell.


    In his memories, Doctor Chu had only stabbed Luo Kun to death that one time.


    So, how exactly did Luo Kun die in the stairwell during the first loop?


    Moreover, the second time the loop reset, Luo Kun was not in his ward from the start, so that was the reason the nurse went looking for him, and the office conversation he overheard that time was different from this loop...


    Could it just be the butterfly effect caused by different actions during the time change?


    Suddenly, Xu Shuo felt a sharp pain in his head, and as he tried to delve deeper into his thoughts, the pressure-like throbbing became more and more intense, and the violent impulses he had just suppressed surged to his mind again.


    His second personality seemed to beughing eerily in his mind, the bizarre and seductive thoughts continuously eroding his consciousness, changing his way of thinking.


    ¡ªSince this hospital has so many troubles, why not just destroy it all.


    ¡ªWhy think so much, don''t restrain yourself.


    Afterward, those thoughts grew increasingly strong.


    Xu Shuo raised his hand to his head, and in the shadow cast by his palm, the corners of his mouth gradually curled into a sly smile. He turned his head to look at the girl who was reading the file not far away.


    ...


    Tao Tao had already faintly guessed the truth when she realized this doctor did not try to drag her back to the ward and seemed indifferent to her.


    He was either mad or a yer.


    She did not directly approach to ask questions or discuss the plot but maintained her own character''s persona, casting an annoyed nce at the doctor before quickly putting distance between them.


    To restore the storyline, she needed to first understand the hospital. Tao Tao''s role was that of a patient recently admitted who was solely focused on escaping the mental hospital, with very little information at her disposal.


    Fortunately, The Fifth Hospital currently had few patients, doctors, and nurses, and even fewer ordinary staff members, so the thin,test archives could be quickly reviewed.


    Thirteen patients, with the level of danger distinguished by numbers¡ªthe most dangerous was the antisocial personality disorder patient in Room Thirteen.


    The best starting point for clues was the most special individual; mistakes were less likely that way. Tao Tao remembered the doctor currently in charge of him was¡­


    She flipped through the files of doctors and saw a familiar ID photo, a young man smiling, appearing at first nce to be a gentle and approachable person.


    Wasn''t that the madman who had just teased her?


    Tao Tao subconsciously touched her neck. She continued reading, but suddenly, perhaps due to imitating that person''s earlier action, a real and chilling tremor spread up her spine from behind¡ª


    It felt like she had plunged into an ice cer!


    Tao Tao spun around abruptly, her hand swinging the folder at her attacker, a blinding sh of cold light streaked past as the girl quickly ducked her head.


    Shick!


    The de stabbed into the bookshelf behind her while papers from the folder scattered in the air, reflecting the fragmented light from above.


    The next moment, Tao Tao used her slight stature to her advantage, diving under the young man''s arm and running frantically towards the exit!


    She did not try to fight, because even if he could break stones with his chest in reality, her character''s body truly belonged to an underage girl, and she could not muster strength superior to that of a healthy adult male!


    The assessment script was really a trap!


    A gust of wind followed her; as a shadow loomed, Tao Tao powered through her waist and spun around, delivering a kick in an attempt to knock the weapon out of her opponent''s hand.


    Smack!


    Xu Shuo tilted his head to avoid it, rapidly caught her foot, smiled as he curved the corners of his mouth, and pressed down hard, twisting it.


    "Hiss¡­" Tao Tao stumbled and fell, the intense pain in her left leg nearly causing her nerves to snap. The girl, unable to suppress her rage, swung a furious punch, shouting, "Die, dammit!"


    Xu Shuo captured her fist and brought the fruit knife to the pale skin of her throat.


    He spoke softly, "Didn''t I tell you not to run around? Why can''t you be obedient?"


    Feeling the coldness at her throat, Tao Tao''s pupils shook. She suddenly understood the perverted behavior of him touching her neck.


    It wasn''t teasing at all; he actually wanted to kill her!


    But this guy did not emit even a hint of killing intent.


    Even the moment before he made his move, he had not revealed any intentions, behaving as if he was merely flirting with a girl.


    His smile remained gentle and polite, his gaze holding regret and pity, but in such a bizarre situation, no matter the disguise, it all came off as a bit sinister and nefarious.


    Looking at the young doctor before her, smiling the same but with an aura so different from just moments before, as if he were a different person altogether, Tao Tao suddenly recalled the part of the file she had not finished reading¡ªthetest note below said¡ª


    This one''s a madman, too!

 Chapter 39: Chapter 36: The Fourth Cycle

    ```


    Tick-tock...


    Blood dropped onto a chaotic mess of a floor, staining the papers a ring red, and then slowly spread around.


    Tao Tao fought to cover her slit throat, trying to speak, but no sound woulde out. She watched with a flicker of panic in her eyes as the young man rose and walked away.


    In the assessment theater, no one could use their real abilities, yet this guy''sbat strength was terrifying!


    Hiss... Is this what the world of the powerful is like?!


    The entire records room was destroyed in the struggle between the two. Tao Tao kneeled among the bookshelves, watching as more and more blood pooled under her, her consciousness beginning to blur. She bit her lip, caught in a dilemma.


    Should she use the Resurrection Card now, or wait for that strange time loop to activate?


    If she waited for thetter and got it wrong, death would be real, but the Resurrection Card was one-time only¡ªit would be gone after use.


    Damn it! Why did she have to run into him?


    Tao Taoy on the ground gasping for air. She summoned the yer''s Handbook and flipped to the items section, her fingers trembling slightly.


    ...


    Around the corner on the third floor, Xu Shuo left the records room with a pleased stride, heading down the stairs.


    Almost the moment he opened the fire door to descend, the elevator doors in the corridor opened, and Director Zhang stepped out, his face grim as he hurried toward the records room.


    On the dim and eerie corridor, the opened records room cast a stark light.


    Standing at the doorway, Director Zhang nced at the chaos inside and let his angry gaze linger on the small figure in the pool of blood for a moment before turning abruptly and leaving.


    It seems it''s not this person.


    Besides, it''s toote for a rescue; might as well just go downstairs and kill Luo Kun, and in the process test out the cause of the time loop.


    What''s more important, the one who acted might have already set his sights on Patient No. 13.


    ...


    The second-floor stairwell.


    After descending, Xu Shuo was about to push open the second-floor fire door when he suddenly sensed something and turned to look.


    On the stairway leading to the first floor, a youth in hospital attire stood there, gazing intently at him.


    "Little Kun, why did you run out again?" the young man asked softly, his face still wearing a peaceful smile, one hand leisurely tucked into the pocket of his white coat.


    "Doctor Chu, I took my medicine today," Luo Kun obediently said.


    Xu Shuo stepped toward him, the corners of his mouth carrying a faint smile, descending the stairs leisurely step by step until he reached him. Then he pulled out the knife from his pocket, saying with a smile, "You didn''t take your medicinest time."


    Luo Kun''s expression faltered slightly. The young man, holding the knife, moved closer, appraising him from head to toe.


    "Luo Kun, do you really think I can''t kill you?"


    "Doctor Chu..."


    At these words, Luo Kun showed a hint of surprise. He fixated on the doctor in front of him and, after a moment of stupor, the astonishment in his eyes gradually turned into a passionate glow, bright and even a bit eerie.


    Luo Kun''s breathing hastened, his face turning an unnatural shade of red as he grinned and said, "Doctor Chu, you''ve realized¡ª"


    Before he could finish, Xu Shuo swiftly raised his hand and shed. His eyes caught the glint of the de. The sharp edge brought a stter of blood that quickly stained his white coat.


    Watching the youth clutch his throat and fall, struggling on the ground, Xu Shuo''s face remained expressionless. He did not deliver a second blow; instead, he suddenly turned his head towards the first-floor stairwell.


    The next moment, a white figure shed in the stairwell, retreating behind the wall, followed by fading footsteps. It sounded like someone who had witnessed the killing and was running away in shock.


    "So there was a Little Mouse hiding there," the young man sneered coldly, taking a step toward the direction.


    ```


    At that moment, Luo Kun, who was struggling on the ground, suddenly grabbed his whiteb coat. Xu Shuo paused and lowered his head to look at the young man who started convulsing due to excessive blood loss.


    Luo Kun''s face was smeared with blood, which made his smiling visage all the more sinister. He grinned and said, "Doctor Chu, you only found out that time is looping, haven''t you? So, have you also discovered anything else?"


    The slight upward inflection in the young man''s tone carried a bizarre pleasure. He showed no anger at being killed again. In fact, the whole ordeal seemed to ignite a burning sense of exhration within him.


    What a fascinating, chaotic world this is!


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo didn''t continue to chase after the escaping voyeur. Instead, he crouched down, following the force of Luo Kun''s pull, and ced the fruit knife against the cut on the young man''s neck.


    Blood spurted from the wound, drenching his neck and shoulders in crimson, as the pungent scent of blood spread throughout the stairwell.


    "Some things, I think it''s better for you not to know," Xu Shuo said cryptically, smiling faintly as if enjoying the process of executing, causing slow but progressively deeper cuts along the existing wound with forceful precision.


    "..."


    Luo Kun wanted to say something more, but his gaze gradually lost focus. He opened his mouth wide, blood trickling from the corners.


    The young man watched him, his smile turning increasingly fierce and twisted as a low, sinisterugh emerged from his throat, echoing in the gloomy, dim stairwell.


    The next instant, Doctor Chu''s shaking shoulders abruptly stopped, and the crouched young man quickly stood up.


    Quite unlike his previous mania, he looked pale and somewhat panicked and helpless as he gazed at the young man on the ground, then at the fruit knife and the blood on himself.


    Chen Chu murmured, "It''s happening again..."


    ...


    Time flowed slowly yet again, leaving the entire hospital in utter silence.


    "I see."


    Xu Shuo, who had been leaning on the office desk, suddenly lifted his head, a new certainty in his eyes.


    Luo Kun wasn''t a yer; he was just an NPC that had discovered The Fifth Hospital was undergoing a time loop. Therefore, from the start, he knew Chen Chu would try to kill him but also knew he couldn''t be killed, thus enjoying this toy-like process.


    Tsk, he''s really a little deviant.


    The original Chen Chu hadn''t known that time was continuously resetting, and his second personality was no different, so he was always repeating the almost identical actions of killing and saving.


    But after Xu Shuo entered the role, Doctor Chu seemed to have also realized this critical point.


    Because their memories had already been shared.


    Xu Shuo thought about all this, took out a couple of pills from his pocket and swallowed them, then stepped into the bathroom to pull out the fruit knife, tucked it into his pants pocket, and arranged the long, thigh-lengthb coat to cover the pockets.


    ...


    This was the third reset.


    In the quiet office, Director Zhang, who had been napping in his chair, opened his eyes. He immediately got up, opened the door, and headed to Chen Chu''s office.


    On the dimly lit, silent corridor, a white-d nurse passed by, respectfully nodding at him before calmly pushing the nurse cart in the opposite direction.


    At this, Director Zhang paused, but when he turned his head, the nurse had already rounded the corner with the cart.


    He looked away and continued walking, passing by Patient No. 8''s room and taking a nce inside.


    ...


    In the ward, Patient No. 8, who had just awakened, sat up gasping for breath. She breathed rapidly, then lifted her hands to frantically feel her neck.


    "Back again, back again..."


    Although this time loop cost her two mission failures, now she had to thank the loop for saving her in this third one!


    Grateful for preserving her rare Resurrection Card!

 Chapter 40: Chapter 37 My hero

    There''s a maniacal killer in this game!


    Tao Tao thought about the young man''s gentle and polite smile, and her mind was overrun with the thought of a wolf in sheep''s clothing; suddenly, the gloomy nurses seemed exceptionally kind and friendly.


    That guy really killed people without any warning, and Tao Tao hadn''t figured out why he suddenly wanted to kill her.


    The file said that Doctor Chen Chu had been suffering from schizophrenia sincest year, and although he started treatment as soon as it was discovered, it has only gotten worse.


    After the old hospital director fell ill, The Fifth Hospital was now managed by Director Zhang; logically, with Doctor Chen Chu''s current condition, he should have been ssified as a patient to receive intensive treatment, but that hadn''t happened.


    And Doctor Chen Chu, he was the attending doctor of patient number thirteen, who had the highest level of danger.


    A mentally ill person treating another mentally ill person; how could things get better, resulting in a hospital with two madmen inside.


    Tao Tao looked at her own ward door and felt reluctant to go out and investigate, worried she might bump into a psychopath who kills without warning the moment she steps out.


    He was just a theater newbie¡ª he couldn''t bear this injustice!


    Tao Tao sighed, and just then, her ward door was suddenly opened.


    The chain lock outside was removed, the door was pushed open without a sound, and a somewhat sinister, slender figure stood at the doorway, bright eyes looking over at her, a pale face showing a hint of a well-behaved smile.


    "Who?!"


    Tao Tao looked over alertly and saw a young man in patient clothes, who looked rather frail.


    He might seem too weak to withstand a breeze, but the rm bells in Tao Tao''s mind were going off. She rolled out of bed, grabbed the water cup from the nightstand, and smashed it towards him, shouting angrily, "Who let you in! Get out!"


    Crash!


    The water cup hit the door and then fell to the ground, making a harsh noise that sounded like an rm bell in the silent corridor.


    ...


    "Doctor Chen."


    Xu Shuo had juste out of the restroom and turned his head to see the amiable man standing at the door, also dressed in a white coat, a physician here and the current recement for the old director of The Fifth Hospital, Director Zhang.


    The other party had acted as a dialogue NPC in his office the previous two times; this time, he came directly to find Xu Shuo.


    Xu Shuo kept his expression unchanged, asking with slight puzzlement, "Doctor Zhang, is there something you need from me?"


    Director Zhang looked at him, his gaze lingering below for a moment, then shifting to the medicine bottles on the table, and said seemingly haphazardly, "I heard from the nurses that you haven''t been feeling well recently, so I came to check on you, in case it''s serious, don''t force yourself."


    "Don''t worry, I feel quite goodtely," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    "Good, have you taken your medicine?" said Director Zhang as he reached out to take the medicine bottle on the table, but Xu Shuo picked it up before him.


    The bottle still contained sugar pills.


    He had just taken a new medication he got from the pharmacy beforehand.


    Strangely enough, although time had looped, the poison that was used up in the first loop was gone, but the new medication from the third loop was still in its ce.


    This was not an ordinary time loop.


    Xu Shuo unscrewed the bottle cap, poured out two sugar pills into his mouth, and while saying, "I''m just about to go to room thirteen to check on Little Kun. He had been improving quite a lot before, but for some reason, his condition has be strange recently."


    As he spoke, the young man sighed with concern, his expression filled with genuine care.


    Seeing him take the medicine, Director Zhang calmly withdrew his hand that was initially intended to check the medicine and ced it in his pocket, saying, "Let''s go together then. I''m also worried about his condition. If there weren''t any problems, he should have been discharged after the next psychiatric evaluation. I didn''t expect something like this to happen."


    Thest sentence was spoken in a low voice by the man, sounding somewhat cryptic.


    It was as if he was implying something.


    But Xu Shuo, oblivious to everything, nodded and left the office with the other person, heading towards the isted ward at the end of the corridor.


    ...


    The third floor of The Fifth Hospital.


    Although the archive room was located on the third floor, the third to fifth floors of The Fifth Hospital were actually abandoned and the unlit corridors were even more sinister than usual.


    At this moment, a white figure hurried through the dusty rooms as if searching for something.


    Eventually, she found a pitch-ck object in a dusty storeroom near the staircase and stuffed it into a nurse''s cart parked outside.


    Then a white curtain was draped over, concealing the cart''s lower shelf.


    "This is the fourth time," she muttered under her breath, her eyes shing with resolute determination.


    Fortunately for her, despite the reset in time, the arrangements she had made in the hospital remained unchanged. In fact, each repetition gave her more time to perfect her n.


    "And this will be thest time."


    After three observations, she concluded that each reset was triggered by Luo Kun''s death. Therefore, she only needed to protect him. Conveniently, she had a "reason" to protect Luo Kun, so it wouldn''t break her character at all.


    Moreover, he was also the target of her current performance.


    The nurse finished her task and looked up with a face as somber and mysterious as an evil ghost that crawled up from the Abyss, pushing the nurse''s cart slowly down the dark and silent corridor.


    Just as she entered the elevator, a slightly hunched figure appeared at the end of the corridor, his gaze murky and indistinct.


    ...


    Today was not a good day for weather; the outside sky was overcast, and the abandonedmercial district was shrouded in shadows.


    Standing in the outskirts, the quiet and peaceful hospital was suddenly pierced by a shrill, drawn-out scream.


    The sound of something heavy hitting the ground came from a room, followed by the uncontroble, enraged shrieking of a girl apanied by the tter of various objects smashing on the floor, resounding eerily throughout the deste building.


    The nurses and orderlies, who were scattered throughout the building, realized what was happening and quickly ran towards Room No. 8, the source of the noise.


    Instantly, the dead quiet hospital seemed toe alive from decay.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the surveince room on the first floor.


    The nurse, who had knocked out the administrator for the fourth time, seemed to notice themotion and looked up at the screens on the wall. She saw several hospital staff members rushing through the second floor in a hurry.


    The ordinarily silent hospital became unusually busy.


    "What a nuisance," the nurse coldly remarked, casually discarding the fire extinguisher in her hand.


    She searched the screens for the source of the chaos and for her target, then in the surveince feed for Room No. 8, she saw her "HERO" barging into someone else''s room.


    The source of the disturbance, indeed, was a mental illness patient with acute mania, who, once triggered by the boy, caused the entire hospital to erupt into chaos.


    Seeing this, the nurse smirked and reassured herself in a mutter, "Everything that my hero does is right!"


    Just then, her peripheral vision caught sight of a young doctor in Room No. 13.


    The nurse, now with her attention captivated, stared at him on the screen for a moment, then left the surveince room with a bizarre, coldugh.


    The lobby on the first floor of the hospital was even quieter, with only the asional janitoring in to clean and the administrator, who was always on duty in the surveince room.


    Now, the administratory on the ground with his head bloodied, as chaos unfolded unchecked on the screens.

 Chapter 41: Chapter 38 Victims

    Xu Shuo and Director Zhang didn''t find the patient in Room 13.


    By the time Director Zhang barged into Chen Chu''s office, Luo Kun had already silently left the ward and then arrived at Room 8.


    This seemingly obedient young man with a smile more harmless than Chen Chu was actually the most dangerous patient in the entire hospital. Tao Tao''s sense of danger immediately triggered an rm; she hated those madmen who thought of killing at the drop of a hat!


    Even if there was no murderous intent, she would not let down her guard, after all, thest madman had shown no signs either.


    Luo Kun, disregarding the water cup on the floor, approached the girl who looked extremely angry but was slightly nervous. With curiosity, he asked, "Doctor Chu seems quite interested in you too, huh? Hey, do you want to leave this ce?"


    His lowered voice carried a strangely enticing tone as he intensely stared at the girl before him, lips curling into a brilliant smile.


    His words seemed to provoke a certain obsession within Tao Tao, as a burst of delirious speech suddenly flooded her mind, screaming "leave, leave, leave, leave..." incessantly!


    Tao Tao took two steps back in shock, quickly regained herposure, and knew she couldn''t let the patient''s thoughts control her. Channeling the impulse that was about to erupt from her chest into anger, she furiously grabbed the bedside table and flung it straight at the demon before her!


    "Get lost!"


    Bang!


    The short cab hit the floor and instantly broke into pieces.


    Luo Kun sidestepped the attack with ease, his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise, his face still smiling, as he watched the girl who had suddenly gone mad with great interest.


    "What''s the matter? I know about you, Number Eight. But it seems you were sent here by your family for being a bit willful."


    "To this day, they have never evene to visit you, have they? You''ve been abandoned~"


    "You must want to leave, and then go find those people for revenge."


    The young man let the debris fly by him, the corners of his mouth holding an obedient smile, slowly saying word by word, "They have no right to treat you like this, right?"


    However, Tao Tao didn''t give herself a chance to listen to him seriously. She swiftly picked up whatever was near and hurled it at him until she had thrown everything on the bed. As she tried to lift the bed, several orderlies rushed in.


    ...


    "Not here?"


    "The nurse didn''t mention taking him out for a walk."


    The two arrived at Room 13, where the curtains were tightly drawn, and the dimly lit room was empty.


    Upon seeing this, Xu Shuo subconsciously thought of the stairwell; that kid seemed very fond of that ce, and had sneaked over there several times on his own.


    Director Zhang, upon hearing this, seemed to casually ask, "Have the nurses been taking him out frequently?"


    Xu Shuo shook his head, "Not really. Just the other day he went for a walk downstairs, but his mood doesn''t seem too good recently, he has been keeping himself locked in his room, probably because of past events..."


    At this point, he paused tactically and then continued with a worried sigh, "Just when he was getting better, I worry that he might revert to how he was before."


    "Past events?" Director Zhang inquired, puzzled.


    "Back then, he was sent to The Fifth Hospital at this time of the year. Have you forgotten, Doctor Zhang?" Xu Shuo looked at him, perplexed.


    Director Zhang, concealing his probing gaze, nodded and said, "I have been negligent, but as his current primary doctor, you are more attentive to these matters."


    Xu Shuo smiled and said nothing.


    After not finding anyone in the ward, the two turned and left. Xu Shuo was about to check the stairwell when he had just opened the fire door, a shrill noise suddenly came from a room in the middle of the corridor.


    Immediately following was a cacophony of colliding sounds, apanied by the girl''s very sharp screams, it all sounded like something unspeakable was happening.


    The two exchanged a nce and turned to walk in that direction, while the nurses and orderlies who heard themotion also hurried over, some with restraints in hand.


    As a psychiatric hospital, it wasn''t unusual to witness patients lose control of their emotions asionally, and the staff here were very experienced.


    When Xu Shuo arrived at Room No. 8, the situation inside had already been brought under control. He nced at the doorte and name before looking at the girl who was being held down on the floor by the orderlies.


    Across from the girl, Luo Kun stood innocently and obediently, his entire demeanor exuding bewilderment.


    "Little Kun, what are you doing here? It''s time for medication; why aren''t you in your own room?" As the primary doctor for patient number thirteen, Xu Shuo dutifully stepped forward and asked with a frown.


    "Doctor Chu, I wanted to have a chat with her," the young man said, lifting a harmless smile.


    "Interacting with other patients requires the consent of their primary doctors. Don''t run off on your own again; what if you encounter danger?" Xu Shuo raised his hand to touch the boy''s head, speaking softly with a caring demeanor.


    "Okay," Luo Kun responded, slightly bowing his head.


    Tao Tao, struggling against the grip of several orderlies, saw this and thought: ""


    Damn, who exactly is the dangerous one here!


    You have one with schizophrenia who kills without warning and another who, after ughtering his own family, suddenly came to beguile her, an antisocial personality disorder patient¡ªyet they both have the audacity to y innocent here!


    I''m the victim here!


    Tao had just been cruelly throttled by a certain doctor in the previous instant, and now, seeing Xu Shuo, a reflexive fear shed in her eyes, followed immediately by a surge of anger fueled by her emotions.


    A nurse picked up a medication bottle from the floor and administered two pills to her; Tao Tao''s surface resistance was fierce, but in reality, she swallowed them faster than anyone.


    "Tao, calm down. I''ll get you some cake to eatter, durian vor!" the nurse said, soothingly patting her chest to ease her breathing whileforting her.


    Tao Tao slid down the slope, her face dark but silent, no longer struggling.


    Xu Shuo nced at her and then said to Luo Kun, "Let me take you back to your room."


    Luo Kun obediently nodded, and Director Zhang followed suit upon seeing this.


    The two escorted the troubled young patient back to Room No. 13, after which, Xu Shuo took out the new medication he had prescribed earlier and had him take it.


    "The medication might make you a bit sleepy; rest for now, and we can talk about anything elseter," Xu Shuo said as he tucked him in, appearing every bit the gentle and caring doctor¡ªthis demeanor prompted Luo Kun to nce at him with ambiguous meaning.


    After turning off the lights and closing the door, the room once again fell into gloomy darkness.


    ...


    Xu Shuo stood in front of the tightly closed door to Room No. 13 and sighed, "It seems his condition is still not very good; we need to have the orderlies intensify their surveince for a while."


    Director Zhang frowned, "I don''t know what he was doing going to Room No. 8."


    "Maybe he really just wanted to chat, like between kids," Xu Shuo replied with a casual smile. "He and Tao Tao are about the same age, and it''s normal for him to want to talk to someone when he''s feeling down. You know, there''s always a barrier between us doctors and the patients."


    It''s just that of all people to talk to, he had to pick the one patient from Room No. 8 who could explode at any moment.


    Director Zhang nodded upon hearing this and then said, "I have to do rounds now. We''ll ask them both what happened once they''ve calmed down a bit."


    "Alright," Xu Shuo acknowledged, watching him turn and walk away, his gaze growing increasingly profound.

 Chapter 42: Chapter 39 Time

    The yers for this Scripted Murder Game had almost been confirmed, with two already certain, but their tasks were still unknown.


    Xu Shuo slid his hands into the pockets of his white coat and turned to walk toward Patient No. 8''s ward.


    The chaotic scene in Patient No. 8''s ward had already been dealt with by the nurses, thankfully there were no dangerous items in the room, otherwise during Tao Tao''s outburst earlier, there might have been an incident of harm.


    To the nurses, the scene just now was almost entirely caused by Tao Tao''s loss of control, and although the youth was also a dangerous individual, he had been bing increasingly well-behaved recently.


    Such a well-behaved child, how could he cause trouble?


    A nurse brought over a piece of durian cake to pacify someone, watching the girl as she ate, all the while sitting next to her and speaking earnestly about life''s great truths.


    Listening to this, Tao Tao''s irritation grew.


    "Knock, knock."


    The sound of knocking echoed, and the door to Patient No. 8''s ward was not shut, allowing the nurse to turn and see the young man standing at the entrance.


    She hurriedly stood up to greet him, "Doctor Chen."


    While speaking, the nurse also cautiously nced at the young man, noting his gentle demeanor and rxed eyes and brows, with nothing amiss, she was somewhat reassured.


    Xu Shuo smiled warmly, "I came to check on Tao, you can go ahead with your work."


    The nurse nodded, not noticing the girl''s pleading gaze, she confidently entrusted the patient to the doctor, after all, Patient No. 8 had just had a fit, so it made sense for the doctor toe and check.


    Thus, when the nurse left the ward, Xu Shuo casually closed the door.


    Tao Tao: "!!!"


    She opened her mouth as if she was about to scream the next moment.


    However, at that instant, the young man quickly turned to her and with a sly, sinister smile warned, "Keep quiet, or you can see whiches faster, someoneing or you dying."


    Tao Tao was instantly silenced.


    Due to Xu Shuo''s sudden act of murder before, she was unsure whether the doctor before her was a yer or a real case of mental instability.


    After all, even if the characters they portrayed were mentally ill, as yers, they could control their emotions, like how she felt irritable all the time, but her consciousness was able to suppress these emotions that weren''t her own.


    Yet the person before her, he was too strange.


    Tao Tao watched him warily and snorted, "Doctor Chen, you don''t seem to be my primary care physician."


    "Doctor Zhang is doing rounds, I came over to check on you first." Seeing that she wouldn''t cause trouble, the young man again dropped his gloomy facade, returning to his polite and gentle manner, asking with concern, "What did Little Kune to see you for, did he hurt you?"


    "..."


    Did someone actually regard her as a victim?


    Tao Tao gave him a strange look, and after a moment of thought, she sneered, saying, "It seems your patient is contemting something, he asked if I wanted to leave here with him."


    "So, what do you wish to do?" Xu Shuo took a step closer to her, rming Tao Tao enough that she quietly shifted back.


    "What are you talking about, Doctor Chen." Clutching the durian cake in her hand, her expression twisted slightly as she spoke sarcastically, "After all the trouble you''ve gone through to lock me up here, how could you let me leave?"


    "No, if you want to leave, I can let you go."


    As he spoke, Xu Shuo leaned in slightly, staring intensely into her eyes as he said, "So, do you really want to leave The Fifth Hospital or not?"


    Who wouldn''t want to leave!


    The problem was that she had already run away twice, but each time the timeline reset, she''d be back here again, and the task would be marked as iplete. The only solution Tao Tao could think of was to deal with the time loop issue first and foremost.


    A yer could only obtain a limited amount of information about their role, knowing nothing else, which was why she had previously gone to the archives to dig up data on the hospital, trying to figure out the real way to y this scripted game through the minor details.


    Only by mastering the script could one be confident.


    Especially in a hospital riddled with the mentally ill.


    Tao Tao didn''t understand why this doctor had suddenlye to discuss these issues with her, and considering his patient also had a past record, she hesitated before she was about to speak sarcastically.


    "Alright, I understand."


    The young man intently watching her suddenly spoke.


    Tao Tao: "???"


    What do you know when I haven''t said anything?


    Xu Shuo stood up straight, hands tucked into the pockets of his white coat, and said slowly, "There might be a disturbance at the hospitalter, which you could use to escape. Remember, this is yourst chance."


    Thest sentence was uttered by the young man in anguid, slow tone, carrying an obscure sense of weirdness.


    In her heart, Tao Tao inexplicably felt that this might indeed be herst opportunity.


    Complete the mission, escape The Fifth Hospital!


    ¡­


    After the incident in Ward No. 8 was resolved, the hospital fell back into silence.


    As evening approached, people grew drowsy, and the nurse''s station was quiet, with only the janitors mopping the floors during the brief rest period.


    The water stains reflected the white incandescent lights on the ceiling, the pale walls, the cold blue doors; the dim light created somewhat gloomy colors, casting the hospital in ayer of hazy mist.


    Doctor Chen Chu''s office.


    Director Zhang leaned against the desk, contemting, his gaze inadvertently scanning the items on the table.


    He was waiting for Doctor Chen toe back.


    What led him astray was that Doctor Chen Chu didn''t seem like a yer.


    Could the frequent killing of Luo Kun be simply due to a split personality causing mischief after a bout of dissociation?


    After all, the source of Doctor Chen Chu''s illness was Luo Kun.


    Being influenced by a patient''s thoughts during treatment isn''t umon in mental institutions; many psychologists have issues to some extent.


    When he first entered the game, he had taken the opportunity to learn about everyone in The Fifth Hospital, and due to the old dean''s situation, the hospital was facing the threat of being shut down.


    However, the staff in the hospital didn''t really have much of a fighting spirit regarding this matter, since The Fifth Hospital indeed couldn''t hold on any longer.


    It was an issue that nobody really cared about.


    Director Zhang picked up a pen and twirled it absentmindedly. If this reason wasn''t the core of the script, then it all came down to the patients.


    The hospital, doctors, and patients were the three most crucial elements.


    The abolition of the hospital wasn''t the primary issue.


    Director Zhang reached for a piece of paper and wrote "hospital" on it, then quickly drew a line through it.


    Doctors; there were only three remaining in the hospital¡ªhim, Chen Chu, and another doctor who had gone with the old dean to seek medical treatment. The Fifth Hospital''s medical capabilities had dwindled to so little.


    Thirteen patients¡­


    As he thought about the patients, Director Zhang''s train of thought abruptly paused, his eyesnding on Chen Chu''s name.


    Chen Chu should have been categorized among the patients a long time ago, but after entering the game, Director Zhang quickly crossed his name off the list.


    The reason was simple; he couldn''t afford more targets in his mission!


    Director Zhang sighed wearily. At that moment, his gaze, resting on the paper, suddenly stopped.


    It seemed there was something else written on the back of the paper, as some traces were showing through.


    Director Zhang flipped over the paper.


    "1405".


    A string of numbers that seemed to record a time.


    ¡­


    Why would Doctor Chen record a time?!

 Chapter 43: Chapter 40 They Are All Very Genuine

    "My hero, everything is ready now."


    The young boy who had taken his medicine did not lie down and sleep like the doctors had expected. Instead, he was still wide awake, holding a book in his hands, taking great interest in a collection of short stories.


    The pale nurse stood in the darkness, like a drifting wisp of white mist.


    She seemed to want to touch the boy sitting on the hospital bed, but hesitated for some reason and did not reach out, as if her touch would sully a god, her face filled with a crazed and fervent expression.


    After all, in the nurse''s heart, he was the savior who had entered her innermost being and pulled her out of the Abyss.


    "Soon, we can leave this ce together." The nurse said enthusiastically, staring at him, "I will be with you..."


    Luo Kun smiled ambiguously, disregarding the nurse''s continuous prattle beside him. His gaze was focused intently on the text of the book, his eyes were eerily bright in the darkness.


    Suddenly, a faint sound came from the doorway.


    The nurse, who had been admiring the boy with worshipful eyes, hardened her expression, lowered her head slightly, and her demeanour became inscrutable as she reached into her nurse''s uniform.


    "Get lost," Luo Kun said coldly.


    "My hero..." The nurse''s consideration flickered in her eyes only for a moment before she lifted her head to gaze, once again, at the boy with a fervent and somewhat aggrieved look.


    "Your acting is terrible," Luo Kun put down the book and propped his chin, observing her.


    "..."


    The nurse blinked, and to anyone observing the fervent admiration and idtry in her eyes, it all seemed genuine. Her zeal was like that of a moth plunging into a me, filled with an unhesitant resolve.


    This was supposed to be a gift skill bestowed by the system. And this guy still said her acting was bad?!


    In the instant that the door was pushed open, the nurse quickly lowered her head as if a believer rejected by the deity, she swiftly hid in the bathroom amidst the darkness.


    "Snap!"


    The lights in the hospital room were turned on, and the boy squinted slightly as if diforted by the sudden illumination.


    He turned his head to look and revealed a familiar, obedient smile, "Doctor Chu."


    "Why aren''t you resting?" Xu Shuo asked gently.


    "I''m not sleepy."


    At that, Xu Shuo nodded and sat down on the chair beside his bed. Noticing the book in the boy''s hands, he asked curiously, "What are you reading?"


    Luo Kun was visibly taken aback for a moment before showing him the cover, "A collection of short stories by Robert A. Heinlein."


    "Let me see," Xu Shuo extended his hand, amicably took the book from him, and began to flip through it.


    Luo Kun, who had his book taken again, stared at his empty hands for a moment, then turned to gaze at the young man. His dark eyes glinted strangely, as if trying to see through the person before him to whaty on the other side.


    Clearly, this guy had not appeared to be so unawarest time.


    Xu Shuo allowed the scrutiny, continuing to speak without raising his head, "What were you doing looking for Tao? Her emotional state can''t be stimted. Next time you want to chat with someone, you could try talking to the nursing aide that takes care of you."


    "I''m curious what Doctor Chu wanted to do with her," Luo Kun said, staring at him, his voice devoid of emotion.


    "When have I ever gone to look for her? If I did, it''s only because she''s without her primary doctor right now, and I went to check on her situation," Xu Shuo replied with a helpless tone, his gaze toward Luo Kun seemed to suggest ''why are you being unreasonable''.


    "Doctor Chu, what time is it now?"


    "One-thirty, why?" Xu Shuo nced at the clock on the wall and then asked, concerned.


    ```


    "..."


    Luo Kun remained silent.


    Perhaps ustomed to the asional abnormal behavior of patients, Xu Shuo, who received no reply to his inquiry, said nothing more. In a sh, the hospital room fell into silence, punctuated only by the asional rustling of pages as the young man asionally turned one.


    After sitting down, he didn''t exin the reason for his visit, as if it was just a routine check on the patient''s condition.


    After a while, the youth suddenly spoke in a faint voice, "Doctor Chu, what are you all doing?"


    "Hmm?" Xu Shuo turned his head to look, his gentle expression filled with confusion.


    "During this time, I''ve been a bit curious." Luo Kun got up from the hospital bed, leaning against the cab behind him, he looked down at the person still seated in the chair, his voice calm to the extreme: "You, Doctor Zhang, and Patient number eight, even some of the nurses."


    Upon hearing this, a figure hidden behind the bathroom door trembled slightly. She clenched her fists and couldn''t help but listen even more intently.


    Luo Kun stared into Xu Shuo''s eyes and said softly, "What exactly are you doing? Suddenly, you are all so keen to perform. What do you want to do around me¡ª"


    As he spoke, the young man suddenly curled his lips into a bright and obedient smile, as radiant as ever.


    Xu Shuo calmly met his gaze for a moment, then closed the book, his concern and worry tangible as he touched the youth''s forehead: "Little Kun, what strange things are you talking about? We won''t do anything to you. Don''t worry, I''m here."


    Hisst sentence was a doctor''s mostmon reassurance to a patient.


    The bright smile on Luo Kun''s face quickly faded, and he looked expressionless at Xu Shuo, his mouth slightly twisted, his eyes instantly turning dark and twisted.


    As a qualified doctor, Xu Shuo keenly sensed that his emotions were off.


    He quickly stood up, concern etched on his face as he pressed down on the youth''s shoulders, asking with what seemed like genuine worry, "Little Kun, are you alright?"


    Luo Kun stared at him for a while longer, then suddenly pushed him away with force and lunged forward to clutch his throat tightly with both hands!


    "Little Kun... calm down..."


    Veins popped on his pale hands, stark and distressing. Xu Shuo, with his throat constricted, found breathing incredibly difficult. He attempted to speak, but Luo Kun, who was gripping his throat, showed no reaction, his expressionless face reflecting a cold and sharp edge.


    Thus, Xu Shuo, struggling, grabbed the wrists around his throat, using more strength than the slender youth to pry the hands apart, and then fiercely threw Luo Kun to the ground.


    "Bang!"


    Luo Kun crashed against the cab behind him and then fell to the floor. sses and medicine bottles ced on the cab rolled down, making a piercing noise as they hit the ground.


    Upon hearing themotion outside, the nurse hiding in the bathroom felt a surge of panic.


    After a moment of contemtion and as a zealous Believer, she thought it should be alright to rush out and rescue her Hero, regardless of whether she had received amand to hide previously, when her faith was under attack.


    In the blink of an eye, the nurse pushed open the bathroom door and, as Luo Kun hit the ground, she rushed over to help him up.


    "Are you alright?!" The nurse, her hands trembling, looked at him eagerly and with concern, her face genuinely filled with care.


    "Little Kun, how are you?" Xu Shuo, coughing and holding his throat, finally reacted and, full of self-me, rushed over to try to help the youth up.


    "Get away! Don''t you daree near my hero!" The nurse blocked Luo Kun''s path in front of him, her hysterical demeanor filled with both fury and genuine killing intent.


    Xu Shuo stopped, his expression one of utter bewilderment.


    Luo Kun''s face remained expressionless. He pushed away the nurse who came to assist him and studied Xu Shuo with an inquisitive gaze, who was now close at hand.


    "Doctor Chen?"


    ```

 Chapter 44: Chapter 41: Three Times of Chaos

    "It''s me, Little Kun, if you''ve been feeling down these past few days, we could go out for a walk."


    Xu Shuo bent down on one knee in front of him,pletely unconcerned by the boy''s recent threatening gesture, his expression tenderly that of a good doctor genuinely concerned about a patient''s recovery.


    The nurse thrown aside was full of twisted jealousy, angrily shouting, "You''re not needed here to get in the way!"


    Xu Shuo looked up at her and frowned, "I''ve been meaning to ask, why are you here? I don''t recall calling for an attendant while Little Kun rests."


    The nurse huffed and turned her head away, her gaze returning to the boy, reverent and fanatical.


    Luo Kun sat on the ground, tilting his head as he watched the interaction between Xu Shuo and the nurse, and suddenly let out a strangeugh, which grew louder, deep and oppressive.


    He didn''t know when it started, but the people around him had suddenly be so fake.


    Just like this hospital, and just like those times, so fake that all he wanted was topletely destroy them.


    "Little Kun?" Xu Shuo looked at him worriedly, while reaching into his pocket and taking out two pills, saying in a coaxing tone, "How about we take one more pill? If you don''t want to rest, I could take you outter to clear your mind."


    Luo Kun quickly hid his smile and climbed to his feet expressionless, then turned and ran out of the ward swiftly.


    "Little Kun? Wait!" Xu Shuo eximed, quickly following him out.


    Bang!


    Xu Shuo, just having rushed out the door, unexpectedly mmed into a wall.


    He touched his throbbing nose, surveying his surroundings; this was a restroom.


    Although the public restroom was diagonally opposite to ward number thirteen, he shouldn''t have run in just after stepping out the door, let alone m into a wall.


    Had time restarted, or was it in disarray?


    ...Luo Kun''s ability?


    After all, Luo Kun had just lost control of his emotions.


    Xu Shuo looked down and saw a small fruit knife stained with blood on the washstand, and there was also sttered blood in the basin. He instinctively reached for his pocket but didn''t feel the knife he had been carrying with him.


    Even his white coat had changed, stained with blood as though he had just killed someone.


    At that moment, screams came from outside, followed by a variety of chaotic footsteps.


    In a sh, Xu Shuo''s head felt a familiar sharp pain. He rubbed his temples, picked up the fruit knife, and turned to leave the restroom.


    Bloodstains on the floor stretched from the restroom to the fire door. Meanwhile, the corridor was filled with thick smoke, murky figures looming within, and mes spread from the end of the hallway.


    Xu Shuo focused on the direction of the bloodstains on the floor, suddenly feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    He quickly remembered, during the second cycle, Doctor Chu had killed Luo Kun and then came to clean the blood in the restroom; it must have looked like this.


    With that thought, Xu Shuo walked over and pulled open the fire door.


    Although there was arge pool of blood in the stairwell, there was no corpse copsed there.


    He looked at his knife, deep in thought. When Doctor Chu set out tomit murder, the fruit knife appeared to already have blood on it, unlike before he left his office.


    Had Doctor Chu killed someone else before going after Luo Kun?


    At that point in time, no.


    "I see..."


    Xu Shuo had a moment of rity, "If ''Time Retrospection'' is Doctor Chen''s ability, then causing the present time and space to be chaotic must be yours, right?"


    Turning around as he spoke, he looked back.


    There stood Luo Kun, tilting his head and asking with a grin, "Doctor Chu?"


    Xu Shuo nced at him, ignored him, and walked into the dense fog while fiddling with the fruit knife in his hand.


    In the middle of the corridor, the fire had started from the elevator built there. Xu Shuo passed through the mes, pushed open the door to ward number eight, and looked inside.


    Tao Tao was not there.


    Her task should be to leave The Fifth Hospital, and this situation was the perfect moment; naturally, she wouldn''t give it up.


    In the second cycle, Tao Tao had already run out of the hospital.


    Luo Kun was still jabbering on behind her, "Doctor Chu, you really are interested in her, aren''t you? Now you can tell me, what exactly are you guys performing?"


    Xu Shuo still didn''t bother with him, pondering on his own.


    So far, four yers had been confirmed, although the total number was still unknown. But Tao Tao''s task was roughly confirmed, and there were also the tasks of Director Zhang and the nurse to bepleted.


    The reason Director Zhang went to find himst time was likely because, after several instances of Time Retrospection, he realized that he had killed Luo Kun, so he went to stop it.


    If one judged from the role positioning of the other party, Director Zhang''s behavior of having to make rounds every day, the task would probably be rted to the patient, or was it purely rted to Luo Kun?


    Speaking of Luo Kun, there was also that nurse¡­


    At this thought, Xu Shuo directly looked at the lunatic behind him and asked, "What is your rtionship with that nurse, and why was she in your room? You know, others can''t enter your room without permission, and it wasn''t time for the janitor to check the rooms."


    "Doctor Chu, are you concerned about me?" Luo Kun raised the corner of his mouth, eerily saying, "However, if you want to know the answer, you''ll have to trade your own secret for it~"


    Xu Shuo still had the bloodied fruit knife in his hand. Hearing this, he narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly pinned Luo Kun against the wall, the sharp fruit knife resting against his throat.


    "If you don''t speak, I can probably guess."


    The nurse''s attitude towards him was that of a fervent Believer, probably someone influenced by this kid''s thinking, just like the initial Chen Chu.


    Tao Tao said that Luo Kun had once tempted her to leave the hospital, from this point, it was imaginable that Luo Kun might well have thought about leaving The Fifth Hospital in advance.


    However, The Fifth Hospital was already facing closure; one more day or one less day actually made no difference.


    His real goal must be more than just leaving The Fifth Hospital.


    Within the thick smoke, mes billowed and licked nearer, apanied by a vague white figure.


    At that moment, Xu Shuo sensed danger and suddenly moved to the side. Apanied by the nging sound of collision, the swinging cleaver struck the wall, right beside Luo Kun''s ear.


    The attacker was startled, apologizing in a panic, "My hero¡­ I didn''t mean to do it!"


    Xu Shuo looked toward the nurse; the killing intent just then was real, just like before.


    If, in order to protect one''s fervently held beliefs, someone went and killed the doctor obstructing them, then this task seemed usible.


    Which led to the final question.


    Who had set the fire in this hospital now?


    At that moment, the nurse took out a red button from her bosom, offering it to the sullen-faced youth with a pleasing manner, stammering, "My hero, everything is ready, just press this and we can leave this damn ce together!"


    Regarding the situation where she had just been in the sickroom but had suddenly changed location, the nurse seemedpletely unaware.


    She didn''t seem to notice that time was in chaos, merely following the procedure of the second cycle, gazing intently at Luo Kun with passion and adoration in her eyes, without a speck of impurity.


    In the second cycle, the nurse began a fire on the third floor and met with Luo Kun in the corridor of the second floor.


    This was also the "Little Mouse" that Doctor Chu had seen at the corner of the wall when he had killed someone before.


    At this point, Luo Kun received the detonator but turned his head to look at Xu Shuo standing calmly at the side.


    He curled his lips into a sinister smile, "But, the show isn''t over yet."


    It was confirmed, Luo Kun only wanted to destroy The Fifth Hospital.


    Then, the second task was almost certain as well.


    Xu Shuo never paid attention to him, but gave the nurse a meaningful nce. As the mes engulfed the area, he turned and walked into the thick fog filled with ck smoke.


    Now, he needed to find Director Zhang.


    However, just as Xu Shuo turned around and had only taken two steps ¨C


    "Bang!"


    A gunshot rang out, and a bullet instantly pierced through his chest.

 Chapter 45: Chapter 42 Congratulations on Completing the Task

    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Escape from The Fifth Hospital.]


    The prompt from the system echoed in her mind.


    What''s going on?


    Dressed in patient attire, Tao Tao knelt halfway in the muddy road, ncing around at her surroundings with a puzzled face.


    In the distance was a building being devoured by mes.


    She rubbed her hair, lost in thought. Just a moment ago, she was in the hospital ward, waiting for the right moment to escape during the chaos someone had mentioned. Then, when she went to the bathroom, she found herself outside of the hospital after opening the door.


    And, the constantly looping task had beenpleted once more.


    So what exactly was going on?


    Even if time had restarted, she shouldn''t be here; she was supposed to be lying in the hospital ward.


    Tao Tao, confused, tried to stand up but suddenly felt a piercing pain in her ankle. Looking down, she saw that her ankle was red and clearly sprained.


    Seeing this, Tao Tao fell into deep thought again.


    The first time she escaped the hospital, she overestimated the strength of this frail female body, ran too hard for the thrill of it, tripped over a rock, and ended up falling and spraining her ankle.


    The very next second, she was back inside the hospital, which made Tao Tao suspect that her twisted ankle was deemed a failed escape attempt.


    So the second time, she was careful to protect her fragile body and made sure not to trip on anything.


    But after running a distance, she still found herself back in the hospital, restarting again. It was only on the third attempt that Tao Tao vaguely understood that the trigger for the time loop was probably within The Fifth Hospital.


    Without resolving this issue, no matter how many times she escaped the hospital, she''d be pulled back during the reset.


    Is this what a Level Two assessment script looks like? A seemingly simple escape task can still involve so manyplications!


    Tao Tao opened the yer''s Handbook, stared at thepleted task for a while, and then decisively stood up, leaning on her good leg, and continued running towards the distance.


    The Fifth Hospital was situated in the suburbs, surrounded by unfinished malls and abandoned factories. In this deste ce, the burning mes were particrly ring against the dim sky.


    ...


    Inside The Fifth Hospital covered by thick smoke and mes,


    Xu Shuo stumbled, clutching the blood gushing from his chest. He turned to look back, and through the hazy smoke, he saw the nurse with a lifted gun.


    The nurse had a frenzied look, her gun-holding hand trembling slightly, eyes filled with excitement and fervor.


    Her sudden attack took everyone by surprise. Luo Kun, after a stunned pause, narrowed his eyes at the nurse and asked coldly, "What are you doing?"


    tter!


    The gun fell from the nurse''s hand to the ground. She gazed longingly at the young man, then suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Luo Kun''s right hand, saying pleadingly, "My hero, I''ve killed the guy who has been imprisoning you. Let''s leave this ce together!"


    As she spoke, the nurse''s shaking hand due to excitement reached for the thing in Luo Kun''s hand. Even though she did not seem certain about grasping the object, she firmly and forcefully clutched his right hand.


    Luo Kun was holding the bomb trigger in his hand.


    At that moment, the sound of an oing attack whooshed from the side, and a metal barrel was hurled by someone, hitting with a thud, knocking the nurse away along with Luo Kun beside her.


    The bomb trigger also fell from his hand onto the ground.


    A man in a janitor''s uniform stood there with a grim expression. He spotted the button on the floor, quickly set aside the barrel, and went to grab it.


    "Bang!"


    Another gunshot rang out. After being attacked, the nurse rolled on the ground, picked up the pistol, and, without hesitation, fired at the janitor trying to pick up the bomb trigger.


    The first bullet hit the wall. The janitor dodged the attack with agility and secured the bomb trigger from the floor, but once again, he found himself in the nurse''s gun sights.


    On the corridor surrounded by mes, the two sides were locked in a standoff.


    Lying on the ground, Luo Kun watched this scene and suddenlyughed sarcastically, his lips spreading into a bright smile as he cocked his head with interest.


    "What, so there are more people involved than just those earlier ones?"


    The nurse''s icy gaze paused, her gun still pointed at the janitor, but she slowly moved towards Luo Kun, her lips parted as she said with feigned concern, "My hero, let me handle this dangerous situation. You should get out of here!"


    Luo Kun did not speak. He stood up, patted his hospital gown, and watched from the side as if it were all a show.


    The mes had reached right in front of them, but neither of the confronting pair seemed to notice, nor did the low coughinging from the fog distract them.


    "Hand that thing over to me!" the nurse demanded coldly, staring at the janitor and stretching out her left hand.


    "I won''t let you destroy The Fifth Hospital!" The janitor raised his hand, his fingertips holding the bomb trigger pressed slightly, threateningly pinching it to create a few cracks.


    "Heh, do you really think this hospital can be saved under these circumstances? Even without that thing, when the fire reaches the top, it''s still going to cause an explosion," said the nurse with a mocking sneer.


    "..."


    The janitor''s face darkened, and he did not speak again, his gaze searching his surroundings for a ce to hide.


    But aside from their corner, the rest of the corridor was already engulfed in mes.


    Behind the janitor, a figure dashed out of the dense fog, a sh of cold light streaked past, and suddenly attacked his right hand. The chilling sensation apanied by intense pain made the janitor let go of his right hand.


    The moment the bomb trigger fell, it was caught by another hand stained with blood.


    "Hiss..." Clutching his shed wrist, the janitor looked back in horror and shouted, "Stop!"


    Xu Shuo, holding the bomb trigger, pressed it nonchntly.


    Boom!


    A deafening explosion emanated from the center of the corridor near the elevator, followed by the entire building shaking violently. The explosion continued, walls cracked, and ceiling debris fell.


    [Congrattions onpleting the mission: Destroy The Fifth Hospital.]


    Amidst the tremors of the explosion, the nurse fell to the ground, and hearing the system notification in her mind, she snapped out of her earlier astonishment.


    The doctor actually helped her to activate the bomb?


    With that thought, the nurse quickly looked around for other figures, but the recent explosion had driven them all apart. mes and dense smoke filled her view, obscuring the entire corridor.


    Feeling tense, the nurse stood up and called out eagerly, "My hero?!"


    The doctor was not yet dead, and she could not assure herself that he would not have the breath tounch ast attack, especially since he had just ambushed the janitor.


    His goal was to kill Luo Kun!


    More importantly, the doctor might initiate Time Retrospection after this, potentially causing her mission progress to be wiped again!


    ...


    Amongst the crackling mes, Luo Kun leaned against the wall, his brow furrowed as he waved away the encroaching smoke.


    He heard the nurse''s shouting not far off but had no intention of responding. The youth turned his head to the side and saw a staggering white figure approaching him.


    "Doctor Chu, you don''t seem to be in very good condition," Luo Kun said with a smile, his widened eyes shining eerily as he spoke in a ghostly tone, "Shall I change the time to another point now?"


    Xu Shuo was covered in blood, his white coat almost entirely stained a ring crimson. He approached Luo Kun, pale and expressionless, and swiftly shed again.


    This time, he deftly slit Luo Kun''s throat.


    "You talk too much," Xu Shuo said sluggishly afterward.


    Blood sprayed out. With his fingers stained with blood, Luo Kun looked at the doctor in front of him and started tough in a distorted and bizarre manner.


    ...


    [Congrattions onpleting the mission: Kill patient number thirteen from the ward, Luo Kun.]


    [Congrattions to the yers forpleting more than 50% of the main mission. This theater will end in thirty minutes. Please prepare ordingly.]

 Chapter 46: Chapter 43 The Fifth Cycle

    1 p.m.


    Having just had lunch, Director Zhang sat in his office, idly rocking his chair back and forth and, leaning his head against the backrest, stared at the pale ceiling above.


    There was no trace of any burning marks to be seen at all.


    Though The Fifth Hospital had fallen into disrepair, most areas were still kept very clean, and the walls were painted a pristine white.


    Director Zhang looked very intently; in his white line of vision, the yer''s Handbook was counting down the time.


    ...


    The entire hospital was shrouded in ayer of misty ck fog. Under the grey overcast sky, the surrounding abandoned shopping district told a tale of destion, leaving the cold blue-and-white hospital as the only color in this area.


    But under the gloomy sky, the building seemed to have also been covered with ayer of mncholy.


    Ward No. 8.


    The girl who had been sleeping on the bed suddenly opened her eyes and then sat up, looking up at the sky guard panel as well, exhaling gently as if sighing to the heavens.


    This time she had run until the hospital building was out of sight, and even though her feet hurt so much that she was sweating profusely, she did not stop, yet she ended up back here.


    But this time... Tao Tao looked at the countdown on the yer''s Handbook.


    Thirty minutes until the game ends, and this judgement did not reset with themencement of time, meaning she just needed to run one more time before the countdown ended to sessfullyplete the task!


    Tao Tao excitedly popped two pills.


    She couldn''t afford to make any mistakes at this critical moment.


    The outside of the ward was still eerily silent. Tao Tao got out of bed, tiptoed over, and stood at the door for a while before pressing down the door handle.


    The corridor was dim and lightless, and in the air mixed with the smell of disinfectant, there seemed to be a faint smell of gunpowder.


    Tao Tao remembered the fire she had seen when she leftst time, but that was probably part of another yer''s task or the game''s crazed NPCs; she had no desire to investigate it.


    She only wanted toplete her task.


    Tao Tao walked out of the ward toward the staircase at the end of the corridor, deliberately choosing the direction opposite to Ward 13.


    Suddenly, a nurse''s figure turned the corner ahead. Tao Tao reacted swiftly, pulled open a room door next to her, and slipped inside.


    There was a little girl in the ward who suddenly saw her run in. Panicked and trembling, she shrank to the foot of the bed and clutched her nket tightly, her face very fearful.


    Tao Tao gave her a warning re, which made the little girl shrink back even further.


    But as Tao Tao turned to lean against the door and listen, the girl''s gaze suddenly became very strange. She quietly sized up the person who had burst into her room.


    Just then, a piercing scream came from outside. Tao Tao hadn''t reacted yet when another high-pitched scream came from right behind her.


    The consecutive screams startled her, and she quickly realized what was happening and rushed over to cover the girl''s mouth.


    "What''s your name?" Tao Tao said fiercely.


    "Out... outside someone is screaming..." the little girl said in a voice as low as a mosquito''s buzz. She was shivering and looked at Tao Tao with fear in her eyes.


    After the scream came from outside, a chaos of footsteps ensued, followed by a cacophony of shouting voices filled with fear, panic, and a hint of despair.


    It appeared serious chaos had erupted. Tao Tao frowned and red at the girl under her grasp, "What does the screaming outside have to do with you? I''m going to let go now, but you better not scream, or if you attract people, you''re as good as dead!"


    The girl shrank back, nodding fearfully in agreement.


    Tao Tao saw this and slowly moved her hand away, only fully lowering it when she saw that the girl indeed stopped yelling.


    The chaos outside continued, and at this moment, the girl who had just been held hostage was now clinging tightly to Tao Tao''s arm, shivering as she spoke, "This hospital, it''s finally making its move, right...?"


    "Huh?" Tao Tao had wanted to listen to the noise by the door, but instead found herself being pulled back as she uttered an impatient, rising tone of voice.


    "Those doctors are nning to kill us, we''re being domesticated here, just to be their provisions!" the girl muttered as if clutching at straws, desperately tugging at Tao Tao.


    Tao Tao: "¡­What are you talking about?"


    Domestication and provisions? What kind of psychopathy is this?


    Seeing that Tao Tao didn''t believe her, the girl quickly insisted with certainty, "Don''t you think the nurses and doctors here are very strange? They go about with gloomy faces all day, they feed you a lot, don''tmunicate with you, won''t let you go out, and keep you locked up here, they¡­"


    Tao Tao listened silently, sizing up the girl with a face full of panic, and recalled the information she had seen in the archives.


    Oh, a severe case of paranoia, then there''s no problem.


    She didn''t have the heart tofort the girl; she forcefully removed the girl''s grasp on her hand and turned to go back to the door, listening to the noise outside.


    However, the girl lunged at her again, anxiously grabbing her and shouting, "Don''t go out! It''s really dangerous outside! Let''s¡­ let''s escape this ce together, shall we?"


    Tao Tao ignored her, nonchntly nodding, "Hmm, escape."


    The various shouts that had juste through seemed to have subsided somewhat, and the smell of gunpowder in the air had be even stronger, as if the scene from before was reying.


    Tao Tao cautiously pressed down the door handle and quietly opened a crack in the door to look outside.


    The pungent smell of gunpowder grew stronger, light smoke floated in the corridor, and the blood sttered on the walls made the sh of pallid and crimson especially striking.


    Hiss¡­ Are those people fighting again?


    The big shots sure fight fiercely!


    Tao Tao poked her head out, and after not seeing anyone around, she quickly slipped out of the door, but then her hem was suddenly pulled.


    She turned her head and saw that the paranoia sufferer had followed her.


    "Hey, aren''t you afraid that I''ll take you out and then kill you!" Tao Tao threatened fiercely, her fierce and angry look somewhat scary.


    "But but but it''s more, more dangerous here¡­" the girl stammered with fright.


    "Don''t get in my way!"


    Tao Tao narrowed her eyes and indifferently pushed her hand away, she had only twenty-five minutes left toplete the mission, and she didn''t want anyplications before she got out of the hospital.


    Leaving the girl behind, Tao Tao turned and ran toward the route she had previously nned. She had thought she might encounter patrolling nurses along the way, but instead¡­


    She encountered nurses lying on the ground in pools of blood.


    Until she reached the stairwell, and with no one elseing out to stop her, Tao Tao, pulling open the fire door, stared somewhat stunned at the unidentified nurse lying on the ground with wide-open eyes.


    It was a sharp weapon injury, and it looked like a cut to the throat at that.


    Thinking of a throat cut, Tao Tao couldn''t help touching her own throat and then remembered the man who had cruelly cut her throat in the past.


    Tsk, just thinking about it made her throat hurt even more.


    She looked away and quickly ran down the stairs, only to unexpectedly collide with another nurse at the corner.


    A nurse holding a gun, with a cold and somber expression.

 Chapter 47: Chapter 44 There Are No Normal People in This Hospital

    The nurse stood one step below on the staircase. Although positioned lower, the expression that slightly lifted to look over here, along with the aura emanating from her body, was sharp and icy, filled with an oppressive force.


    The bloodstains on the pale nurse''s dress outlined her graceful figure, with drops scattered across the hem like falling plum blossoms.


    The nurse sister was indeed beautiful, but she was also dangerous.


    Tao Tao froze due to the gun in the other''s hand.


    She calmly met the nurse''s dark and crazed gaze, and at that moment, the shudder of death crept back into her heart.


    "Nur... Nurse sister... you''re scaring me."


    Tao Tao lowered her head, seemingly frightened and afraid because of the gun, but her eyes were firmly fixed on the other''s gun-holding hand. At the same time, the hand that hung by her side stealthily reached for the surgery knife in her pocket.


    This was something she had pocketed on her second escape. This time she had prepared nothing, but when she left, the knife appeared inside her hospital uniform.


    Tao Tao no longer wanted to know about the bizarre situations in this hospital; right now, she only wanted toplete her seemingly extremely simple task before the system''s countdown ended.


    At that moment, the nurse let out an odd, cold chuckle, and her gun-wielding hand lifted.


    At that instant, Tao Tao also made her move!


    However, Tao Tao, who had drawn the surgery knife, immediately stopped her forward motion as a question mark popped up in her mind.


    Because she saw the originally grim nurse suddenly be unsettled, moving the gun barrel away and frantically looking around, as if she saw right through the person in front of her, as if she couldn''t see her at all.


    What''s going on?


    But since the other party hadn''t noticed her, Tao Tao naturally wouldn''t act rashly; she looked around with puzzlement.


    But apart from her and the nurse, there was nothing else around.


    Could it be that weird time had separated her and the nurse into two different spaces?


    But why could she see the nurse?


    As Tao Tao was befuddled, calming down to specte, she finally noticed that there seemed to be a hand tugging at her clothes from behind!


    Tao Tao quickly turned around, ready to attack, but upon seeing the person before her, she once again stopped the descending surgery knife.


    The paranoia-stricken girl timidly clung to her, making a shushing gesture.


    Tao Tao was stunned, her brow furrowed in silence, but she didn''t resist, letting the girl pull her down the stairs, sticking close to the wall, carefully avoiding the nurse who was suspiciously surveying the air around her.


    After the two reached the first floor, they quickened their pace and ran out of the stairwell.


    With the crisis temporarily abated, Tao Tao shook off the girl''s hand, and without any courtesy, demanded, "Hey, aren''t you going to exin something?"


    The girl spoke timidly in a low voice, "It''s... it''s ''Delusion of Vision''. When I''m scared and want to hide from those who are chasing me, I can make them unable to see me. They can''t see the things I touch either..."


    "With such a powerful ability, why didn''t you escape from the hospital sooner?!" Tao Tao stared at her suspiciously, saying out loud theint that was in her heart.


    "Outside, there are even more people who want to kill me... even more than here... The doctors and nurses here were normal before, but now, they''ve changed, they want to kill me too..." The girl''s voice was as low as a mosquito''s.


    Just say the whole world wants to harm you!


    Tao Tao nced at the girl and said "thank you" before continuing to walk quickly outside.


    She didn''t want to take the girl with her. After all, they were only in the roles of yers and game NPCs; even among yers, there wouldn''t be any real-world connections, because they wouldn''t recognize each other.


    The hospital''s main entrance was now close at hand.


    This time, once she got out, she would truly escape!


    However, a white figure appeared before Tao Tao again in the next moment.


    A blood-stained white coat, a still-dripping surgery knife, and the sudden appearance of a kindly-featured man who watched her with cold eyes.


    Why are there so many obstacles in this level?!


    Tao Tao screamed inwardly, her hands gripping the surgery knife alertly as she stared at the man before her in silence.


    Having reached the hospital entrance, she must get out today!


    "Tao, why aren''t you staying in your room?" Director Zhang spoke up, his voice as gentle as a man who had once throttled her.


    "The room is very dangerous," Tao Tao said coldly.


    Hearing this, Director Zhang looked at the burning ward and nodded in agreement, "Hmm, it is quite dangerous. But, it''s even more dangerous outside. Before everything ends, you should just stay here obediently," he said, his words taking a sinister turn.


    Tao Tao suddenly attacked, her petite form charging towards Director Zhang''s side, the knife in her hand shing, trying to disable his weapon first.


    However, Director Zhang deftly avoided the attack, and as Tao Tao feinted and continued to rush toward the hospital entrance without stopping, he didn''t block her but instead stepped forward and kicked vigorously at her back!


    "Thump!"


    Tao Tao let out a muffled grunt, not flying out of the hospital but instead crashing heavily against the iron gate, then falling to the ground. She felt her spine might have been damaged, as a piercing pain shot through her back.


    Director Zhang stepped forward, his hand knife chopping down heavily on the side of her neck.


    Tao Tao''s vision blurred, her mind raced in the instant, and then she let her head drop, sumbing to unconsciousness.


    And all this, the trembling girl huddling in the lobby''s corner saw everything clearly. She curled up tightly, not daring to make a sound.


    Everyone in this hospital has gone mad!


    ¡­


    Tick-tock.


    After realizing there was no more noise around her, Tao Tao, who had been in aa, opened her eyes with a clear mind though tinged with a bit of pain.


    She looked around. This was the cafeteria on the first floor, and the sound of water wasing from a faucet at the dishwashing sink.


    The faucet, left open, continuously spilled water, which filled the sink and overflowed onto the floor, leaving the ground covered in puddles.


    Tao Tao was tied to a chair. ncing sideways, she saw ten other people also bound tightly, sitting against the wall, spaced three meters apart, encircling the tight space of the cafeteria.


    However, those people were still unconscious.


    The mes hadn''t yet reached the first floor from above, and only billows of dark smoke drifted out of the windows, wrapping the already dim hospital in an even more somber gloom.


    Tao Tao took in the situation and bowed her head in thought.


    Unless it was a mentally ill patient causing trouble, there was no reason to tie all the patients together, and Director Zhang''s medical profile didn''t mention him being ill either.


    So, it was probably the yers, and the mission was rted to the patients.


    Tao Tao struggled with the rope binding her hands behind her back, but the rope was tight, and no matter how much she rubbed, she couldn''t create any ck.


    In this situation, even amputating a limb seemed unlikely to loosen the rope.


    Looking at the gate outside that could barely be discerned, Tao Tao tried to stand up. Even with a chair on her back, she had to slowly hop out of this hospital!


    However, after several floundering attempts, the chair behind her wouldn''t budge.


    Turning her head, she realized the back of the chair seemed to be forcibly stuck to the wall!


    No wonder all the chairs were ced against the wall!


    "Damn it! Are they insane?!"


    Tao Tao cursed out loud, her chest burning with an irritation she had barely kept in check until now, reignited by a series of unexpected events. She felt so angry that she wanted to kill someone.


    Was Director Zhang''s mission to prevent the patients from leaving the hospital?


    No matter what, she was determined to make that madman fail his mission¡ªeven if it cost her life!


    Tao Tao couldn''t help but struggle a few more times in anger, causing some noise, then she immediately calmed down.


    Cool-headed, she flipped through the yer''s Handbook, but got angry all over again when she saw that many useful rare items were frozen and couldn''t be used!


    Which dumbass nner designed a test script that doesn''t allow the use of several system items?!


    Tao Tao trembled with anger, half due to her character''s physical reaction, and half because she was genuinely infuriated.


    Would she have to reluctantly use one of her rare items again?


    Having yed scripted murder games for so long, Tao Tao only had two rare items, both meant for escaping and saving her life: a Resurrection Card and a Teleportation Talisman.


    But to use them here felt like such a waste.


    Especially since the hospital''s entrance was less than fifty meters away.


    Just as she wasmenting her items, suddenly, a faint sound came from nearby.


    Tao Tao sharply looked up but saw nothing. However, she could still hear the soft footsteps close by. She hesitated, then asked with a frown, "Number Six?"


    Number Six was a patient from room six, suffering from severe delusional paranoia.


    Then, Tao Tao''s vision blurred, and there stood the girl holding a scalpel, shaking terribly.


    Seeing the expression on the girl''s face and the way she couldn''t even hold the scalpel steady, Tao Tao wondered for a moment if this girl was here to kill her in some kind of twisted script but couldn''t go through with it.


    "I... I got scared when I saw Director Zhang... and I hid, I''m sorry..." the girl said, trembling.


    "So, right now you are just..." Tao Tao looked at her, and then nced at the scalpel in her hand.


    It seemed she picked up the scalpel that had fallen in the courtyard earlier.


    The girl moved forward, carefully cutting the ropes, saying, "I... I''ll help you get free..."


    Tao Tao watched how her hands shook, half expecting that before the rope was cut, she''d have several new cuts on her own arms.


    But the girl''s actions were meticulous, moving the de little by little as if afraid to hurt her.


    Seeing this, Tao Tao''s gaze grewplex.


    She hadn''t nned on bringing along this liability when escaping.


    "Hey, why are you helping me? You said everyone here wants to kill you. Aren''t you afraid I''ll kill youter?" she couldn''t help but ask.


    "..."


    Hearing this, the girl stopped her cutting, slowly lifted her head, and gazed intensely at Tao Tao. A disturbing flush spread across her face.


    She looked into Tao Tao''s eyes and said with a twisted smile, "Because I know, in this rotting, sinking hospital, you''re the only sane person. You would never hurt me."


    The girl put her hand on Tao Tao''s face, a gentle smile on her typically timid and fearful features.


    Tao Tao felt a chill, convinced there were no sane people in this hospital!


    But she didn''t resist.


    It was just freeloading for a while. In this desperate situation, she didn''t mind being forceful¡­

 Chapter 48: Chapter 45: The Person in the Moment

    Game over countdown: fifteen minutes.


    Director Zhang straightened his blood-stained white coat, realizing one thing: everyone in the hospital was an obstacle to himpleting his task.


    So, it''s only when it''s just him and the patients left in this world that the task can be carried out without fail.


    And the first person he had to kill was Doctor Chen Chu.


    Fifth round.


    Within half a minute, Director Zhang rushed to Doctor Chen''s office, along the way he casually killed a nurse who grabbed him attempting to make inquiries¡ªthe very nurse who had been constantly persuading him to ssify Doctor Chen as a patient.


    But if he were to turn Doctor Chen into a patient, he wouldn''t be able to kill him, plus adding another person would only further burden his task.


    After all, the game was almost over.


    Director Zhang felt the serpentine presence of deathly stillness in the hospital, not resisting the encroachment of dark thoughts, because he intended just that.


    However, there was no one in the office. The other party was also quite quick to act.


    Subsequently, Director Zhang immediately went to ward thirteen, but Luo Kun who was supposed to be there also disappeared. Even so, thetter hadn''t died.


    Thick smoke drifted down from the third floor.


    "What a nuisance," Director Zhang coldly gazed at the stairwell, where the dim lighting cast the cold blue tones and pale walls into a bleak tapestry.


    The other yers had also begun to make their moves.


    Director Zhang pulled out his list of targets, moving them one by one to the cafeteria on the first floor, gathering them together, thereby making it more convenient to keep them in check, sparing the trouble of dealing with them one by one.


    What stories this hospital held, he didn''t care; he only cared about his mission.


    ...


    The hospital fell into a distortion of time.


    The nurse once again lit the tobo hidden on the third floor.


    But when ready to retrieve the handgun and detonator button, she encountered the janitor who hade chasing after her.


    The janitor, who had always been nearly invisible within The Fifth Hospital, now wielding an axe, behaved like a crazed murderer.


    Or rather, he had gone mad.


    The hospital was filled with intertwining screams that wove a sinister melody, chaotic footsteps, and the sound of heavy objects falling like leaping notes, enshrouding The Fifth Hospital in darkness as it performed its long-awaited frenzied rhapsody!


    "How ludicrous. People say I have descended into madness, but now, they are no different."


    Luo Kun extended his fingers, conducting lightly as if directing, watching the crimson blood spread across the pale walls, his lips parting into a brilliant smile.


    "Doctor Chu, do you find it wonderful?"


    "It''s alright."


    Xu Shuo was ying with his smartphone alongside.


    He was waiting for the countdown, fifteen minutes left, and before that, he couldn''t be bothered to move.


    "Do you know why that nurse obeyed mymand?" Luo Kun closed his eyes, rxedly conducting and speaking.


    "No idea." Xu Shuo casually humored him.


    "She wanted to leave the hospital; she''s been trapped here for too long. Every day there are crazy patients, every day there are out-of-control incidents, every day she''s on tenterhooks. Doctor Chu, no one would like it, except for us," Luo Kun curled his lips.


    "Hmm, you''re right," Xu Shuo replied.


    "Then do you know why the janitor wants to stop all of this?" Luo Kun continued to ask.


    "No idea."


    "Because¡­"


    At this, Luo Kun suddenly stopped, not continuing, and the smile rapidly faded from his face. He stared darkly at Xu Shuo, who was sitting beside him, engrossed in his smartphone game without a nce elsewhere.


    After a silence, unexpectedly, the dark, lightless ward thirteen suddenly lit up.


    The din within the hospital abruptly ceased.


    Xu Shuo, who was ying with his phone, looked up to see that the ward was eerily quiet¡ªLuo Kun''s constant prattling was no longer by his side.


    Where had his ghost disappeared to now?


    Or rather, at which point in time was he now?


    Luo Kun was unhinged, acting unpredictably, especially after acquiring the ability to manipte these chaotic points in time, leading everyone in the hospital in circles.


    So was this because he wasn''t satisfied with Xu Shuo''s nonchnt attitude earlier, insisting that he join the game too?


    Xu Shuo reluctantly put away his phone, took out his fruit knife to fiddle with in his hand, and walked out the door.


    The hospital was deathly still with blood sprawled on the floor, dense smoke spreading downward from the stairwell, the smell of disinfectant mixed with gunpowder.


    Suddenly, Xu Shuo halted in his tracks.


    Turning his head, he saw Director Zhang, covered in blood,ing up from the stairwell, and upon seeing Xu Shuo, Director Zhang curved his lips into a smile.


    "Doctor Zhang, you don''t seem to be in good spirits," Xu Shuo asked with concern.


    "Do you know why The Fifth Hospital became dpidated?" Director Zhang didn''t respond to the question but instead approached him while talking about an unrted topic, his voice and expression as calm and gentle as the person opposite him.


    "I''ve heard, about a decade ago, the hospital housed a mad patient, whoter set a major fire, killing many people; after that, The Fifth Hospital''s reputation plummeted," Xu Shuo said calmly.


    "Then do you know, the souls of those deceased patients are still lingering here?" Director Zhang got closer to him.


    "You mean... they are within you now?"


    As thest word fell, the young man''s lips also curled into a bizarre smile, the tranquility in his eyes instantly reced by a suppressed ferocity as he pulled out the fruit knife and lunged forward!


    However, as he neared Director Zhang, thetter''s figure seemed like an illusion, apparently close one moment, yet farther away the next.


    Xu Shuo''s swing with the fruit knife sliced through the air.


    Thud!


    The next instant, Director Zhang was suddenly in front of him, lifting his leg and forcefully kicking Xu Shuo against the wall, pressing him with one foot to his chest!


    "Right, the ghosts have given me strength. Doctor Chen, how about you join them?" Director Zhang said with a gentle smile.


    "That is truly terrifying~" Xu Shuo grinned.


    The scalpel came shing towards him, and Xu Shuo quickly raised his fruit knife to block, but the previous illusion urred once again.


    The scalpel de, seemingly within reach a moment ago, had inexplicably shifted an inch to the side by the time he looked again. Realizing this in an instant, Xu Shuo promptly ducked his head to the side, and the iing surgical knife sliced past his ear.


    Xu Shuo nced emotionlessly at the de.


    He couldn''t be seeing things twice.


    Could this be the ability of the yers?


    While his thoughts were racing, the scene before him flipped once more, Director Zhang vanished, and the pressure against his chest eased, allowing Xu Shuo to stumble forward and steady himself, then he surveyed his surroundings.


    The point in time had shifted again.


    This was the stairwell, with thick smoke drifting down from the third floor.


    Tch, Luo Kun''s ability to manipte these chaotic points in time was truly annoying. If only he had known, he would have cooperated and pretended a bit more sincerely with the kid earlier.


    Xu Shuo nced at the game countdown timer: ten minutes.


    He needed to find that guy quickly.


    Turning around, he exited the stairwell and entered room number thirteen. However, upon pushing the door open, the dimly lit room was empty, save for a collection of short stories resting on the bed.


    Luo Kun''s hideouts were essentially fixed, the only difference being the different points in time he would appear elsewhere.


    With this in mind, Xu Shuo suddenly remembered a time when he saw Luo Kun sneaking off with that frosty nurse sister in the hallway from the second floor to the first.


    Why hadn''t he turned to look just now?

 Chapter 49: Chapter 46 Ten Minutes

    Would you still want to escape after countless failed attempts at running away?


    No, you''d just want to lie down.


    Tao Taoy on the hospital bed, her eyes open calmly gazing at the ceiling. Having been a patient with agitated depression for the fifth cycle, she had learned to control her emotions well¡ªfor she had be resigned to her fate.


    She understood that escaping was futile.


    Even if the game clock was counting down, the chaotic and looping time of the hospital never ceased; she had just managed to escape the hospital not long ago.


    In the blink of an eye, she was back in Ward No. 8.


    The world seemed to twist before her eyes.


    The air mixed with disinfectant and gunpowder twisted into two intertwining wavy lines. The ceiling, which was originally t, became undting foam. The eerie cool tones lingered everywhere, and darkness obscured her blurred vision.


    Everything around her seemed to be gradually distorting.


    And in this crazy world, what could a frail girl do?


    She could lie quietly.


    Tao Tao no longer cared, she didn''t even want to move anymore. Her gaze was fixed tightly on the countdown timer on the game panel¡ªten minutes.


    Only ten minutes left, she had decided to use the "Instant Thousand Mile Teleportation" talisman at the veryst second!


    As for everything else, let it be. She was just a vulnerable new gamer, a fragile girl. What else could she do?


    Tao Tao looked at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. She pulled up the nket, covered herself, and rested.


    However, it wasn''t long after she closed her eyes in the dead silence, the door of the ward was quietly opened.


    Sensing the slight noise, Tao Tao abruptly opened her eyes and saw a frail girl standing by the bed, wearing a gray-blue striped patient suit, her face was expressionless, but her eyes were wide open.


    In this bizarrely twisted world of space and color, even a girl who initially looked somewhat normal had be incredibly distorted.


    Tao Tao: "..."


    How did Number Six find her way here?


    Did the other party still remember her after time reset?


    But the appearance was so eerie that herst bit of stubbornness kept her from screaming like a girl.


    With only ten minutes left, let''s not have any more scares.


    ...


    In the dimly lit corridor.


    The smoke was like a thin veil drifting there, reflecting strange colors through the hazy air. Xu Shuo nced at the long corridor, then pushed open the fire door.


    A wave of heat hit him. It made his white coat flutter noisily, and even his hair began to curl.


    Xu Shuo raised his hand to brush the hair on his forehead and looked forward. The scorching mes spread from the third floor downwards, and in the stairway between the second and the ground floors, a boy stood there, looking at him with a ghostly gaze.


    "Doctor Chu, congrattions on finding me. That was quick~" Luo Kun''s lips curled up with a strange smile.


    "Was there any suspense?" Xu Shuo said indifferently.


    As a patient trapped in The Fifth Hospital, his range of movement was limited, unless the guy deliberately ran around after the reset of the time point.


    But obviously, the other party was waiting for him.


    "Doctor Chu, it seems that this y has reached its final moments, but you don''t seem very happy?" Luo Kun tilted his head, his face full of curiosity, then suddenlyughed, spreading his arms: "What do you have to worry about? The world is inplete chaos now! It''s impossible to return to the way it was!"


    "Hey, don''t suppress the desires in your heart anymore, Doctor Chu. I know what you want the most!"


    He grinned, his expression wild and manic: "We are the same, just waiting for the right day. Even the most rational person can be mad, and that is the distance between this world and me, the distance between you and me¡ª"


    ```


    He was like a crazed cultist, more like a demon lurking in the darkness, beguiling and luring those trapped in the mire into an even deeper Abyss.


    Xu Shuo looked at him calmly for a while, his gaze profound, and did not respond to Luo Kun''s incessant babbling, his fingertips gently grazing the smooth de of the fruit knife.


    Then, he got up and walked over, asking casually, "Luo Kun, how many times have I killed you?"


    Upon hearing this, Luo Kun actually considered the question seriously before breaking into a grin, "I don''t know, lots and lots of times I guess."


    He spoke as if it wasn''t himself he was talking about being killed.


    Afterward, Luo Kun''s expression changed again, and he looked at him deeply, saying, "However, it''s the first time someone like Doctor Chu remembers so clearly that they can''t kill me. Could it be rted to those who pretend to be something they''re not?"


    Xu Shuo watched him without a change in expression, lifting the dagger in his hand.


    Then, as the expression on Luo Kun''s face became more and more distorted, his mouth weirdly stretching into a smile, and his gaze gradually heating up, Xu Shuo took out a bottle of pills from his pocket with his other hand and immediately used the fruit knife to pry off the cap.


    "I haven''t taken this medicine yet," Xu Shuo said, pouring out two pills and handing them to him.


    "..."


    Seeing that he made no movement for a long while, Xu Shuo''s expression quickly turned cold; he looked at him expressionlessly and said in a low voice, "Good children should take their medicine quickly."


    Luo Kun: "..."


    Xu Shuo watched him closely with indifference, watching as Luo Kun slowly took the pills and then slowly prepared to put them into his mouth¡ª


    "My hero!"


    The nurse suddenly ran down from upstairs.


    Wasn''t she just being chased by a janitor?


    The nurse was holding a gun, her white dress stained with blood. Although she still had a gloomy face, her eyes were filled with worship and fervor when she looked at Luo Kun.


    Xu Shuo realized that her intention to kill him seemed to have lessened a bit, probably because the game was counting down, so whether or not to deal with Doctor Chen didn''t really matter anymore?


    However, The Fifth Hospital had not been blown up yet; it seemed everyone was waiting for thest moment.


    The nurse rushed to Luo Kun, looked at him anxiously as he put the pills into his mouth, and said, "My hero, this man will harm you! Don''t trust this guy!"


    While speaking, the nurse turned her head to look at Xu Shuo beside her, hatred and malevolence undisguised in her eyes, her fingertips trembling slightly as they gripped the gun.


    Xu Shuo also did not hide the knife in his hand, his lips curling into a nearly imperceptible smile as he watched the nurse.


    Luo Kun''s gaze became slightly dimmer, "You''vee to the wrong ce, the stage for your performance is not here."


    The nurse was taken aback, and before she could react, the space around her warped, the initially cold blue hues of her vision bing more bizarre and aberrant, a heavy, oppressive aura descending upon the hospital.


    The timeline changed once more, and both Luo Kun and the doctor vanished from sight.


    In the dark, lightless corridor, the mes flickered within several abandoned wards, thick smoke clouding her vision.


    And at the end of the corridor, a person in a blue uniform, head drooping slightly, looked up, blood dripping slowly from the arm holding an axe.


    It was the janitor she had only just managed to escape from!


    The nurse couldn''t help but grip her hand tighter, only to find that she no longer had the gun in her hand.


    She was now at another point in time.


    "Damn it!"


    The nurse couldn''t help but curse under her breath. Luo Kun, that madman, was truly troublesome to deal with, willingly sending his loyal believers straight to the enemy without hesitation¡ªshe hadn''t even provoked him, had she?


    If it wasn''t for the fact that she could earn double the performance points from him, she wouldn''t have gone looking for trouble!


    The nurse took a deep breath and nced at the countdown timer on the system panel: ten minutes.


    The endgame was set within thesest ten minutes.


    ```

 Chapter 50: Chapter 47 I Torture The Patient Over and Over Again

    Xu Shuo stood in the bathroom, unaware of the time.


    He looked around and then towards the mirror in front, straightened his clean white coat, and listened quietly to the screams outside.


    The hospital was darker than usual, and in the gloomy mirror, the young man''s face seemed to be ghostly and distorted.


    Doctor Chu in the mirror smiled.


    "The sound outside is so beautiful. Why not join in?"


    Doctor Chu had split from Chen Chu''s personality, the darkest and most indulgent side of him, having worked in this hospital for years and encountered countless patients.


    Whether treating any kind of mental patient, doctors always needed to be cautious, adhering to a treatment that would not stimte the patient''s emotions.


    But this truly was a dark cage, bleak and barren in all directions, with patientsforted, nurtured, and imprisoned by them in the darkness.


    Yet, why was it not the patients who restricted the doctors?


    The chaotic and unordered thoughts affected everyone here, whether doctor or patient. At some point, they were all the same.


    Normal people waste half their lives on sin and pain, and their only issue is that they just shouldn''t reveal they are demons, just shouldn''t show their abnormalities. They learn to grow by emting the emotions of normal people.


    Pity, unease, fear, obsession¡ªthey might not understand these emotions, but they can learn the appearance of them.


    They can also disguise their own abnormalities.


    And as they learn to express like normal people, others unconsciously learn from them too, everybody performing in such pretense, learning from and resembling each other. So, in the end, how can they be distinguished?


    You can no longer tell the difference between yourself and them.


    You have also long been one of those thirteen people.


    "Do you want to leave this ce?" Doctor Chu asked.


    "Destroy the ce that made you lose control, and you can still return to the life of a normal person."


    He had so fervently desired this... Chen Chu had been driven to madness, but in the end, the only difference from the patients was that his identity as a healer kept him rational.


    He held onto his sanity as a doctor, and so Doctor Chu could only be the second personality.


    He never became a patient.


    ...


    Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock...


    The blood slowly dripping, in the utmost silence of the dark, fell gradually from one end of the hallway to the other, finally stopping before the bathroom door.


    "Found you."


    The dim light shone down, casting half of the man at the door into darkness, his face expressionless as he looked at the young man inside.


    Wandering amidst these chaotic moments, he was about to lose hisst bit of patience. If this continued, he might not even spare his intended target!


    "Director Zhang, I have to thank you for one thing."


    The young man, who finished adjusting his white coat in the mirror, turned his head with a faint smile and said, "I am very grateful to you for not agreeing to the nurse''s suggestion to categorize me among the patients."


    If Doctor Chu''s consciousness had been the main personality from the start, he might not have been able to so easily control two personalities. If he were not ying the game, but instead being yed by the game, that would be too uninteresting.


    Director Zhang, face expressionless, looked at him, the surgical knife in his hand so bloody its original appearance was indiscernible. His white coat was stained blood red, a stark contrast to the young man opposite him.


    "Is that so? But I regret it now," he said, wiping the de with his hand, speaking coldly, "In this hospital, one doctor is enough."


    "I will take care of those patients. Doctor Chen, you can finish your shift."


    As his words fell, a crimson figure surged forward!


    Xu Shuo stood still, his gaze at the figure ahead unclear, until it was just an inch away, until the gleaming surgical knife was about to touch his neck¡ªXu Shuo suddenly raised his hand and grasped the de, blood flowing from between his fingers.


    Director Zhang seemed startled.


    "Oh?" Xu Shuo gripped the surgical knife tightly, letting it cut through his skin, and weirdlyughed, "I only meant to block it in advance. How did I end up grabbing it?"


    In the phantasm, the de seemed to be inches away yet had already struck close to him.


    At that moment, a regretful sigh came from the doorway.


    Director Zhang yanked the surgical knife out, carving a deep, bone-deep wound in the young man''s palm, warm blood spattering on the floor. He rapidly stepped aside and turned to look at the doorway.


    Upon seeing the neer, Director Zhang subconsciously furrowed his brow.


    Luo Kun spoke faintly, "Doctor Zhang, you''re really useless. I wanted to see if you could kill him¡ªafter all, he has killed me so many times. As the only doctor here, you should avenge your patients, shouldn''t you?"


    Hearing this, Director Zhang was stunned for quite a while, his expression turning strange for a moment as he nced at Chen Chu and then at Luo Kun.


    He had once suspected that Chen Chu was a yer, thenter thought not, since a yer couldn''t possibly experience everything a character does. But after the fourth round, he began to doubt again...


    And now, Director Zhang was beginning to suspect Luo Kun was the yer.


    No matter how many times the timeline restarted, none of the nurse and patient NPCs in the hospital ever noticed the resets!


    Only yers... yers...


    Director Zhang thought this and suddenly pressed a hand to his aching head. Wait, why did he care about these things?


    It didn''t matter who they were, as long as hepleted his mission!


    Why had he be so obsessive?


    "Doctor Zhang, the ''ghost'' in this hospital seems to be doing a number on your mental state, huh?" Xu Shuo''s low voice came through at that moment.


    He approached, bent slightly to look at Director Zhang, who was staring down with an inexplicable expression. The young man had an extremely amused look on his face, as if observing something interesting.


    There was light from the ceiling, but it was dim and gloomy, casting only shadows.


    This stifling hospital affected people''s thoughts. The longer one stayed, the less normal they became, as it assimted everyone into something like itself.


    "Do you know..."


    He suddenly said softly, "Everyone has a dark side. The dormant madness is like gravity at the earth''s core; with just a slight push, one would fall forever into chaotic Abyss, unable to climb out, so don''t indulge yourself easily."


    This was just a game world, but games were best at luring people into the depths.


    At the end, it didn''t matter who was the patient and who was the doctor.


    So, this hospital indeed no longer had any reason to exist.


    Whoosh¡ª


    mes rushed in again, bursting through the opened fire door into the second-floor corridor, zing fiercely, gilding their faces with a hazy golden glow.


    Watching Director Zhang''s struggling expression, Xu Shuo chuckled lightly and turned to walk out of the restroom.


    Luo Kun still stood at the doorway, his intense gaze fixed on Director Zhang, who was struggling to regain his sanity. His facial expression was ferocious and twisted, as if he intended to do something at this moment.


    "If you don''t want to end up as one of those corpses right now, follow me to the next act," Xu Shuo utterednguidly, casually pointing with the knife at the nurses and orderlies Director Zhang had killed earlier in the hallway.


    "Doctor Chu, you indeed haven''t killed me yet..." Luo Kun suddenly turned his head to look at him; his eyes, wide and bright, were unnervingly strange.


    So much time had passed since the game started; why hadn''t he killed him yet?


    Xu Shuo couldn''t be bothered with him and, facing the burning mes, turned to ascend the stairs.

 Chapter 51: Chapter 48: The Patient Treats Me Like a First Love

    The fire door on the third floor was half-open, with intense mes pouring out of the door, burning down along the spilled oil on the stairs.


    Xu Shuo patted the mes that had leapt onto him and stepped forward to pull open the half-open fire door, only to be greeted the next moment by an axe dripping with blood¡ª


    "Bang!"


    The fire door was forcefully mmed shut, the axe chopping heavily into it, making a deafening sound.


    The fire doors in this hospital were not of poor quality, so there was no horrifying scene of the door being chopped through. Instead, the immense force caused the door frame to shake violently, as if it were about to fall down.


    After closing the door, Xu Shuo turned his head to look. He was looking at the stairs going from the third to the fourth floor, at the pitch-ck corner where the nurse was sitting, staring at him with a sinister smile.


    This smile was somewhat strange, more like the recklessness thates with being driven to madness.


    The cleaner''s lethality was indeed great.


    At that moment, the fire door opened again, waveringly. The cleaner, with a somber and fierce expression, axe in hand, emotionlessly stared at Xu Shuo, who was just an arm''s length away.


    Upon seeing him, the nurse''s expression became extremely terrifying. She clenched the scalpel tightly in her hand.


    This guy is dying time!


    At the start of the game, the nurse character had hidden the explosive button and pistol in a room on the third floor in order to destroy The Fifth Hospital.


    Although she had found themter, the items had returned to their original ces after the time reset.


    If she wanted to get them, she would have to repeat those steps!


    However, this time she was ambushed by the cleaner!


    The ce where the items were hidden was in the patient room close to the end of the corridor. Since the cleaner, who was much stronger than she was, stood in the way, the nurse had intended to go around using the stairs on the other side.


    If she was quick enough, she could grab the weapons before the cleaner caught up with her!


    But it seemed as if the cleaner had guessed her n ¨C although he didn''t know exactly where the items were hidden, he could block the way to them!


    The cleaner didn''t chase after the nurse; instead, when she turned to run, he also turned and headed for the stairs on the other side to block her!


    The two of them ran back and forth in the corridors of the third and fourth floors like the game of Catch Around the Pir. As time passed, the nurse gradually became mad.


    Setting the hospital on fire was just something she did following Luo Kun''s instructions. The fire started in the stairwell, but all the explosives were buried in the central elevator area and at the positions of the main support columns of the building.


    Wanting to wait until the mes detonated the explosives, those few minutes seemed uncertain!


    She didn''t want to gamble on such a fleeting chance!


    The nurse stood ominously at the dark stairwell when she saw the young man walking up from downstairs and then open the fire door without any precautions...


    What a pity.


    How did she not manage to kill him.


    Luo Kun followed behind and, upon seeing this scene, gave a strange smile, teasingly saying to the cleaner holding the axe, "What''s this, a game of evil spirits possessing people in a Blizzard Vi?"


    The cleaner gave him a cold nce, and at this point, even the nurse, who would always rush ahead of Luo Kun, became eerily still.


    She even maliciously thought about just killing Luo Kun to restart time!


    Then, in the few minutes of the restart, she would rush to the third-floor patient room, grab the explosive button, and press it without thinking twice. She has had enough of raising her performance values; she didn''t want to do it anymore!


    And if it hadn''t been for Luo Kun messing with the timeline on a whim, she wouldn''t have unexpectedly encountered the cleaner on the third floor!


    This madman was the real culprit!


    Suddenly, Luo Kun turned his head to look at her hidden in the darkness.


    The nurse was startled for a moment, her eyes instantly bursting with fanatical adoration as she gazed longingly at him.


    Luo Kun disinterestedly looked away.


    He looked at the cleaner, walked over to stand beside Xu Shuo, and continued with augh, "I really don''t get it, why you''re so protective of this hospital. What meaning does its existence still hold?"


    "Ha, what would a madman like you understand!"


    The cleaner curled his lips into a scornful smile, shouting with madness in his eyes, "I''ve worked at The Fifth Hospital for decades! I watched it grow, I watched it prosper, I watched as it locked away all you madmen! It shall never perish!"


    "Ridiculous!"


    Suddenly, the nurse sitting on the stairs spoke up venomously, standing up and scoffing disdainfully, "This ce should have been destroyed long ago! It should have vanished in that great fire more than a decade ago! If not for it, I never would have been assigned to this godforsaken ce! I should be enjoying my life in a bustling city, not trapped here in this wilderness!"


    "Don''t forget, if there were no The Fifth Hospital, you wouldn''t be where you are today either!" the cleaner gritted his teeth and roared angrily. "If the hospital hadn''t taken you in back then, trained you, where do you think you would be right now?"


    "Who cares about that! Even without this incident, this damned ce would have been shut down! Everything you are doing now is just futile!" the nurse suddenly burst into maniacalughter.


    She acted even more insane, more hysterical than the cleaner, her words full of injustice and anger at her own experiences, as if she had indeed wasted over a decade of her best years here.


    Xu Shuo watched the two yers perform their intense scene without betraying any emotion, although he was slightly surprised.


    What''s the point?


    Luo Kun watched them with interest, even pping and cheering, "Exactly! What''s this Fifth Hospital anyway? No one wants to stay here, be it doctors or patients¡ª"


    "Shut up!" The cleaner suddenly raised his axe towards him, eyes almost bursting with rage. "This incident, it''s all your madman''s doing, isn''t it! Your goal is to destroy The Fifth Hospital!"


    Luo Kun tilted his head innocently, "What? I haven''t plotted anything, I don''t have any ns, I''m just¡ª"


    "Following my heart~"


    ¡­


    mes danced in the stairwell, consuming the four people locked in confrontation, while darkness spread along the corridor.


    At this moment, in the pitch-ck third-floor corridor, a bloodstained figure made his way up another staircase, approaching the noisy stairwell entrance without a sound.


    But as he drew closer, close enough that the sounds of argument were crystal clear, the figure suddenly stopped and turned into a hospital room.


    In the dark, the neer searched. The shouting and arguing outside continued until other noises began to emerge from that direction, and it was then that he finally found a small device with a button in a hidden corner.


    A bomb button?


    No, not this.


    He tossed the bomb button onto the floor and walked out of the hospital room, then entered a storage closet near the staircase.


    Just as he darted into the storage closet, an axe flew out from the stairwell entrance and skidded down the corridor, eventually stopping at the door of the closet.


    Director Zhang stared at the axe for a moment before turning back to continue searching the room.


    Until atst he found the pitch-ck gun.


    The man''s expression was one of utter calm in the darkness.


    He had calmed down now, since if you could dodge a knife under the influence of an illusion, what about a bullet?


    ...


    The janitor and the nurse were shouting at each other, then came to blows.


    However, the nurse still hid in the stairwell leading to the fourth floor, and she remained standing behind the two the whole time.


    So the axe was aimed at Luo Kun, but with Xu Shuo standing next to Luo Kun, he swiftly lifted a foot and kicked the janitor when the axe came down!


    Bang!


    The janitor grunted as he was forced back two steps, but his grip on the axe remained firm, his expression malevolent as he red at Xu Shuo.


    Xu Shuo took out a fruit knife and smiled gently, "That''s my patient."


    What is there for me to kill if you kill them?


    "Don''t forget, you too were a doctor painstakingly cultivated by The Fifth Hospital, and now you actually want to protect this madman who''s trying to destroy the hospital?!" the janitor roared in anger.


    "In any case, he''s my patient right now." Xu Shuo''s mouth held a smile, his tone still light,pletelycking their hysterical demeanor.


    Luo Kun looked on with amusement, seeming to enjoy watching them argue over him, but he felt somewhat disappointed by Doctor Chu''sposure.


    In this world, and those deeply entrenched in it, it''s better to be a bit more insane.


    He didn''t like rational people.


    And in that moment, taking advantage of the janitor being kicked away, and as it became a standoff between the two of them, the nurse in the hallway suddenly charged out!


    The janitor''s pupils constricted as he gave a furious shout and swung the axe in his hand with force!


    Xu Shuo also lunged forward in an instant, his fruit knife slicing toward the janitor''s hand, but at that moment, the janitor let go of the axe, hurling it straight at the nurse!


    The blood-dripping axe glistened with a cold light as it flew at the nurse, who, sensing the wind behind her, quickly dropped t to the ground.


    Thud!


    The axe hit the ground, bouncing an inch from the nurse''s head, and then skidded further ahead.


    Without a moment to deal with her fright, the nurse scrambled up and rushed toward a hospital room ahead, intending to find the bomb button prepared earlier by a character, but she tripped over something as she entered!


    "Boom!"


    An ear-splitting noise came from the center of the corridor.


    The nurse was dumbfounded.


    Falling to the ground, she turned her head to see that what she had just stepped on was, inexplicably, a bomb button lying there.


    When she had stepped on it, she had inadvertently triggered the button.


    But why was it here?


    At no point in time should the bomb button have appeared in this ce!


    The entire hospital shook violently, mes billowing, spreading fiercely in all directions, and the dark corridor was illuminated by the fiery red glow.


    At this moment, it felt like thest scene of the fourth act.


    The janitor heard the sound of his failed task, and in that instant, his bloodshot gaze turned once more to Luo Kun.


    Just one more minute!


    But if he killed this man, he could turn back the time once again, and then his mission would be sessful!


    At this crucial moment, suddenly, a figure appeared at the door of the side storage closet; among the mes, that person raised the gun and aimed at the back of Xu Shuo, who was facing the other way.


    "Bang!"


    The gun went off target.


    Xu Shuo was shoved against the wall, and as he looked at the shot Luo Kun, he calmly withdrew his gaze, smiling mockingly at the person who fired the gun.


    "Director Zhang, are you sober now?"


    "..."

 Chapter 52: Chapter 49 "The Fifth Hospital

    It''smonly said that you should not reason with a madman who''s lost their senses; right now, Luo Kun is that utterly uninhibited madman.


    The world''s chaos didn''t matter to him. He wished for it to be even more chaotic and even fan the mes with great relish, hoping everyone would fall into the abyss of their obsessions.


    What''s worse is that when a madman ys a game, he includes himself in it as well.


    Therefore, you have nothing with which you can threaten him.


    In that moment, the only one overjoyed at the scene was the janitor, who even wanted to rush over and hasten Luo Kun''s death.


    "Everyone wants to escape this hospital or destroy this ce," Xu Shuo approached him leisurely, chuckling softly, "So, Director Zhang, what are you thinking?"


    "I am a doctor here, and it''s my responsibility to protect every patient in this ce." Director Zhang lowered his hand holding the gun, the light in his eyes now dead and dim, expressionlessly staring at him.


    Xu Shuo grinned: "Right, I am also a doctor here, responsible for treating every patient. So, his sickness can only be cured by death."


    "And our sickness can only end with destruction."


    He spoke softly, his voice ethereal, fracturing amidst the burning mes and the gradually copsing floors.


    Because this world was beyond salvation.


    Director Zhang took a deep breath, looking at the thirty-second countdown ticking away, and quickly said: "Doctor Chen, even if you''re sick now, deep down inside, you don''t want Luo Kun to die. That''s why you keep using Time Retrospection to save him repeatedly."


    He was struggling in his death throes, trying toe up with a thought like the janitor''s, to turn back time once more, and the choice rested with Chen Chu.


    That was Director Zhang''sst glimmer of hope.


    At least let him finish his task!


    Perhaps, hoping Luo Kun could hold on a little longer within these thirty seconds, even just a second longer would be good!


    Why the hell did this madman save Chen Chu?!


    Did he develop Stockholm Syndrome from being killed?


    ¡­


    The young man looked at him but hooked up an ambiguous smile.


    Xu Shuo turned around to look; during their conversation, the janitor had picked up the axe from the ground again, attempting to deliver Luo Kun the final blow, but was blocked by the nurse, who had been loyally protecting Luo Kun all along.


    The nurse didn''t say a word. She blocked the janitor as if possessed, her face twisted into a ferocious smile, her hands gripping the fallen axe tightly, blood trickling down from between her fingers.


    The game was set, and she wouldn''t allow time to be turned back anymore!


    Even if this could save Luo Kun¡ª


    But, it was already meaningless!


    This hospital was terminally ill, and everyone here was sick, gaining demonic abilities in their distortion.


    In the third loop, the nurse learned that the reason for Time Retrospectiony with Chen Chu, so she knew that only by killing this person could the game of time be ended!


    On the other hand, Director Zhang, who knew many things, understood the best Chen Chu''s feelings towards Luo Kun. His second personality only wanted to destroy the madman who caused his distortion, but the main personality, Doctor Chen, truly had a doctor''s benevolent heart. The two personalities were trapped in an eternal cycle of kill and save.


    Luo Kun, caught in the middle, was indifferent in spirit; he merely enjoyed watching Chen Chu struggling in time, coldly observing the hospital be more and more twisted.


    Perhaps the hospital really deserved to be destroyed, totally annihted in this final ending!


    Time began its countdown.


    Xu Shuo didn''t bother with the two fighting beside him and crouched down to look at Luo Kun, who still had a brilliant smile on his face.


    Luo Kun gazed at him with burning eyes, his dark pupils eerily bright, and said softly: "Doctor Chu, see how good I am to you, even giving you another chance to y~"


    The youngster was as certain of the facts as Director Zhang.


    Xu Shuo quietly looked at him, then took some pills out of his pocket, handed two over, and said warmly: "You haven''t taken your medicine this time. Take these first."


    Luo Kun: "..."


    The fucking medication again!


    Seeing that he didn''t move, Xu Shuo''s originally gentle expression quickly darkened, his eyes narrowing dangerously: "A good child would take their medicine."


    Luo Kun took the pills with blood-stained hands and swallowed them hesitantly.


    Truly hypocritical and disturbed, he had to be covertly threatened by Doctor Chu before he would eat, right?


    Xu Shuo internally criticized, and the next moment, Luo Kun suddenly widened his eyes, his breathing became rapid, clutching at his chest, his pupils dting swiftly.


    But at thest moment, Luo Kun suddenly forced a crazed smile at the corners of his mouth.


    "This time... it''s poison..."


    The first time Luo Kun was given poison, he didn''t take it.


    This time, Xu Shuo had prepared a medicine himself, a pure psychiatric treatment drug, only coated with potassium cyanide.


    Indeed, potassium cyanide was convenient for killing.


    It treated him and killed him, how nice.


    The countdown ended.


    ...


    The sound of roiling explosions echoed incessantly through the mountains and forests.


    mes rampaged through the building, thick smoke billowed into the sky, blending with the oppressive clouds, indistinguishable from darkness and mist.


    The surrounding area was bleak and barren, the destroyed abandonedmercial district was covered in dust and cobwebs, nts clung to the buildings, growing twisted ck vines in the decaying environment.


    The abandoned streets were littered with broken ss and dust; aside from the ck nts scattered everywhere, no other signs of life could be seen.


    This was a twisted, dark ce, a world devoid of hope.


    Two pairs of feet trampled the wilted grass underfoot, walking out from the abandoned district towards the deep mountains.


    "Once we leave here, we should have a good time outside, go to the amusement park, eat delicious food, and wear beautiful clothes~"


    The girl in the patient gown led another girl, strolling leisurely through the ruins, saying cheerfully, "Just the two of us, everyone else is too dangerous!"


    The girl being led was silent, listening quietly, without a trace of impatience, as she turned her head to look back at the lone hospital in the distance.


    In the stillness of the ruins, only that patch of firelight was vividly bright, coloring the dark sky with a sunset-like beauty and shock, like thest redemption of this world.


    And in her line of sight, a transparent panel was still counting down.


    Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...


    "Hey, Tao, why aren''t you talking?" the girl tilted her head to look at her, the smile on her face weird and twisted, her eyes shining brightly.


    Tao Tao was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "Thank you."


    Three, two, one.


    "No need to thank me, as long as we are together forever!"


    ...


    ...


    After thatst voice disappeared from her ear, everything before her eyes shattered like ss; darkness and mes vanished from her sight, and the oppression and suffocation in her heart dissipated in an instant.


    Once the game was over, the process within the game no longer mattered; only the oue was of utmost importance!


    [This round of "The Fifth Hospital" has ended. The script settlement interface will now be disyed.]


    [Mission One: Kill Luo Kun, the patient in Room Thirteen. Completed.]


    [Mission Two: Escape from The Fifth Hospital. Completed.]


    [Mission Three: Blow up The Fifth Hospital. Completed.]


    [Mission Four: Protect all the patients of The Fifth Hospital. Failed.]


    [Mission Five: Prevent The Fifth Hospital from being blown up. Failed.]


    In a nk expanse of space, a young man looked at the settlement panel before him, stroking his chin and muttering to himself, "What gives, my tasks didn''t conflict with any other yer at all. That madman attacked me for no reason, and another one tied me up for nothing."


    Truly, everyone who entered that world was more or less abnormal.


    Fortunately, he had always remained normal.


    The young man sighed and shook his head, turned to thest page of the yer''s Handbook, and seamlessly re-entered the Scripted Murder Game.


    He had to hurry and improve his strength.


    ...

 Chapter 53: Chapter 50 Script Space

    The sky was a wless blue, not a cloud beneath its pale vastness.


    In the midst of the ruins, the hospital stood as if it had been forgotten by the world, emitting a faint light within the deste and vast mountains, ck vines coiled around the streets, filling this abandoned ce with a silent and confusing sense of decay.


    The hospital was eerily quiet, nurses and orderlies were working gently, everything organized and natural.


    Ward number thirteen.


    Luo Kun''s eyes snapped open, and he sat up eagerly, his face full of anticipation.


    He looked around his ward and instantly recognized it, this was the very beginning, before anything had happened.


    But now, Luo Kun no longer found it dull because in this endless cycle of time, there was someone else who, just like him, was also awake and trapped in this Abyss.


    He sat obediently on the hospital bed, ready to wait for Doctor Chu toe and administer his medicine.


    After a lengthy anticipation, the door to the ward was opened as hoped, and Luo Kun looked over with eager eyes.


    "Little Kun, it''s time for your medicine."


    The young doctor walked in, speaking in a gentle voice.


    But at that moment, Luo Kun was stunned, the smile on his face quickly fading as he stared intensely at the doctor, his expression bing calm and terrifying.


    This was not Doctor Chu.


    ...


    ...


    [The Script Space for "The Fifth Hospital" has ended, proceeding to the script settlement interface.]


    When Xu Shuo''s eyes opened, he found himself not at home, but in a space that was stark white from top to bottom.


    He walked forward and touched the barrier, discernible by the ssy reflection if one looked carefully.


    Then, a familiar transparent box unfolded before his eyes, listing the settlement interface for "The Fifth Hospital", with strings of information itemized below.


    "As expected, my task was in conflict with Director Zhang''s task, and the nurses'' tasks conflicted with the cleaners''." Xu Shuo looked at the task information and contemted for a moment before the corners of his mouth curved in a strange smile, "Chen Chu was in conflict with everyone."


    Because of Chen Chu''s Time Retrospection ability, even if theypleted their tasks, everything would reset after time rewound, triggered by Luo Kun''s death.


    That''s why the nurses wanted to kill him, and as for Director Zhang killing him, it was solely because he wanted to kill his patient.


    Moreover, Xu Shuo discovered that in order to end a Scripted Murder Game, the yers had toplete more than 50% of the main tasks¡ªonly then could they initiate the game countdown.


    In the fourth loop, Xu Shuo had Tao Tao''s, the nurses'', and his own taskspleted, managing to meet the countdown condition.


    At first, Xu Shuo had thought the nurses'' task was to kill him, but it was only to blow up the hospital.


    "There are definitely conflicting tasks in the game, leading to battles between yers." Xu Shuo reflected on the first Scripted Murder Game he had yed, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "I just don''t know what the penalty really is yet."


    The photographer''s task had conflicted with his own, and in the end, he had even caused the other''s death, but at that time, the system had not stated that death in the game equated to death in reality.


    Only the tasks had failure penalties, which was the same this time.


    Thinking this, Xu Shuo feigned a sigh, wishing he could have given it a try, if only he didn''t dislike failing games.


    He hoped that those two who failed their tasks would have some luck.


    After reflecting, Xu Shuo looked toward the task settlement panel. It was his first time seeing this kind of thing and also his first visit to this space.


    So, did this mean he had passed the test and officially be a "Reincarnator"?


    [Click to collect rewards.]


    [Based on the results of your script performance, the following rewards have been obtained: Deduction Value 3970, "Chen Chu" Character Card, special skill "Doctor", and the item "Psychic Power Boost".]


    Xu Shuo paused for a moment, not expecting to receive such a generous reward this time.


    He first opened the Character Card; the card spun and expanded. On the front was a neatly dressed doctor in white, with a few bloodstains on his coat, but his smile was warm and sincere, veryforting to look at.


    However, while the card was still spinning, Xu Shuo thought he glimpsed another image on the back.


    He tentatively swiped horizontally across the card, and then, the card flipped over, revealing a backside image of a doctor wearing a blood-stained white coat, holding a fruit knife, with a sinister and malicious smile.


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    [Chen Chu Character Card: Dual-faced Doctor. When transformed into Doctor Chen, you can use the "Time Retrospection" ability to turn back time by one minute (skill can be upgraded). When transformed into Doctor Chu, you can perform a One-Click Kill on your opponent, with skill strength equal to the yer''s strength.]


    One-Click Kill?


    What does One-Click Kill mean?


    And why is it another killing skill?


    Question marks popped up above Xu Shuo''s head, but he eventually understood thest description. Simply put, if he did not have the ability to kill the opponent on his own, then this skill would not be able to kill the opponentpletely.


    He then looked at the other rewards obtained.


    [Special skill "Doctor": I have tormented my patients a thousand times, and yet they regard me with fondness as if it were first love. When using the Chen Chu Character Card, you can activate this skill to make characters with the patient identity follow yourmands obediently.]


    [Item "Psychic Power Boost": When using this item, your psychic power increases by 10 points.]


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    What in the world is that skill description? The system''s skills all seem a bit unserious.


    However, the other one is not bad. He directly clicked the item to use it, and after using it, there was no reaction at all.


    After Xu Shuo had collected his rewards, he opened the yer''s Handbook. His personal information panel looked moreplicated now, with added sections for "Performed Scripts," a "Marketce," and a "za."


    Even more importantly, under his profile picture and name, there were now "Follow," "Fans," and "Messages" settings, which strongly reminded him of forum app features.


    Huh?


    He actually had a fan?


    It couldn''t be an official ount, could it?


    Xu Shuo viewed his new personal panel with interest, opened the fan list, and found that a female user named "Hong Rao" had followed him.


    He casually nced at it but didn''t click to investigate what this little fan was thinking.


    Xu Shuo couldn''t wait to open the marketce.


    The marketce was divided into "Deduction Value Purchase Interface" and "Credits Purchase Interface". After looking through both, Xu Shuo immediately cooled off.


    Nice, with over five thousand deduction value, he couldn''t afford anything.


    He was like those people who enjoyed browsing Taobao even though they couldn''t afford to buy anything, checking out each item in the marketce one by one. There were all sorts of items and special skills, those that existed in reality and those that did not.


    Everything seemed to revolve around the service of the Scripted Murder Game.


    Xu Shuo stroked his chin, having finished browsing through the marketce items he couldn''t afford, and then clicked on the "Performed Scripts" section.


    The interface was arranged like movie streaming software; the first one, "Rainy Night Vi," was in a viewable mode, while the second one, "The Fifth Hospital," was followed by the words "Sealed Off."


    Viewable?


    Could this mean that they turned the Scripted Murder Games he had performed into films to watch?

 Chapter 54: Chapter 51 Removed

    ```


    It is said that many people y scripted murder games not only to enjoy the process of deduction and solving cases but also to relish in acting themselves.


    Thus, some offline scripted murder games even offer an immersive experience simr to certain shows, where everything from the environment to the costumes aligns perfectly with the script, all for the sake of giving customers the thrill of time-traveling through acting.


    Even though their acting might be awkward, this doesn''t hinder their enjoyment.


    Xu Shuo opened the script for "Rainy Night Vi." Then, the interface turned into a loading screen like that of a video yer, followed by the title of the y, and the introduction of characters to the background of music.


    The post-production special effects and craftsmanship appeared surprisingly professional.


    Seeing his own chef character''s illustration, Xu Shuo felt a somewhat embarrassed.


    After the opening sequence, the manor located halfway up the mountain appeared on screen. In the stormy, dark night, the vi in the deep mountains stood isted, its lights flickering on and off through the darkness.


    Then, the camera zoomed in, entering the vi.


    Six individuals sat in the vi''s hall: the Mysticist, the Photographer, the Painter, the Lost Couple, and the Chef.


    These few, who had a rather eerie atmosphere about them, sat on the sofa, their faces stern as they talked about something. As the sound drew nearer, it became clear that what they were discussing was this very scripted murder game.


    Was this really the game they had yed?


    Xu Shuo was a bit surprised. Though watching himself act seemed a bit embarrassing, it was still eptable to him.


    The camera captured everyone''s performance from all angles, from the yers gathering to Mr. Guo''s death at the dining table. Whether it was the camera cuts or the background music and atmospheric rendering, everything exuded a professional and sophisticated air.


    A group of amateurs with exaggerated yet nervous acting was somehow made to feel like a blockbuster film.


    Post-production must have been tough!


    Xu Shuo, feeling embarrassed, turned his attention from the video yback window and suddenly noticed that the yer had all the usual functions and even a bullet screen feature.


    Bullet screen?


    Xu Shuo tentatively clicked on the bullet screen, and suddenly several densements shot across the right side of the screen. From thenguage and tone of theirments, it seemed as if real people were watching.


    Not robots?


    [Coming to see Little White Sister!]


    [Little White Sister''s character is so cute this time~]


    [Haha, everyone is being duplicitous, only the mysticist sister is diligently following the script.]


    Severalments like these passed by. A small portion discussed the plot, but almost all of them ttered "Little White," as if they were there just for her, much like obsessive fans in real life.


    Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes slightly. Were there veteran yers in this scripted murder game?


    That painter girl!


    After the game ended, when Xu Shuo had reviewed the entire script, there was always something that felt strange.


    The Photographer''s task seemed to be to find the killer, which likely opposed his own; while the Mysticist was to uncover the vi''s secrets, possibly rting to Madame Guo; the couple''s task seemed to be to find something hidden in the vi, like the video Yang Ming had shown him earlier.


    So, what could the Painter''s task have been?


    What was her purpose for being there?


    Xu Shuo thought about the whole process and realized that the Painter always seemed to be a bystander. Apart from providing a couple of inconsequential clues, she was even more detached than himself, watching coldly as the other yers ran around investigating; she remained calm and collected.


    It looked as though she had no purpose at all and was just there for a trip.


    As Xu Shuo watched the y while looking at the fans'' frenziedments in the bullet screen, the star rating window appeared at the end of the y.


    He casually awarded it a five-star rating.


    ```


    Your own scripted performance, good or bad, deserves a perfect score!


    Soon after, Xu Shuo continued exploring this new personal panel, opening the square feature, whereupon a strong forum vibe hit him smack in the face.


    There were all sorts of messy threads, some discussing scripts, others about props and skills, and yet others simply focusing on a very popr yer.


    Xu Shuo was taken aback for a moment as he saw some familiar terms within the trending threads.


    "Breaking News! ''The Fifth Hospital'' script experiences a bug, all performances have beenpletely withdrawn!"


    "Certain script gets shelved, I have the mysterious resources! Those in the know, know!"


    "Seasoned yers reveal the mystery behind the withdrawal of the hospital script!"


    These people really missed their calling not working for some browserpany¡ªXu Shuo thought after glimpsing the titles, then clicked on the first thread.


    The poster was fairly serious, reporting the event in a news-like manner: someone had just discovered the mysterious disappearance of ''The Fifth Hospital'', a script once performed by a great yer, and after inquiries, everyone found that this script had vanished for all yers.


    And this situation here is known as "being withdrawn".


    Once a script ispletely withdrawn, it will no longer be avable for other yers to perform, and it will also be "locked" and unviewable in one''s personal list of performed scripts.


    But obviously, this isn''t the first time something like this has happened in the square, so people were less surprised about a script being withdrawn and more curious about the question of "why was this particr script withdrawn?"


    The thread had already built up to several thousandments, which showed the high level of everyone''s enthusiasm.


    Xu Shuo casually flipped through a few pages, but as he was still half-clueless about the Script Space and the yer''s Handbook, his reading was equally half-baked.


    However, he understood two things: the Scripted Murder Game he had just entered had experienced some problems.


    Second, even though there were issues, he still passed it.


    Then there''s no problem!


    Xu Shuo hung around the square for a good while longer before he finally remembered that he should get up and out of bed.


    He didn''t find any option to exit the game in the yer''s Handbook, so he thought for a moment and silently chanted "leave" in his mind; the next moment, the white space before his eyes gradually darkened until everything went ck.


    ¡­


    When Xu Shuo opened his eyes again, he was met with an off-white ceiling, its corners marred with some grey and ck stains.


    He paused, detecting the scent of something burnt in the air.


    Xu Shuo sat up from the sofa and nced at the thin nket covering him, then turned to look toward the kitchen, where a girl with low twin ponytails was managing a pan with her back to him.


    The kitchen was filled with a waft of blue smoke, which the range hood couldn''t disperse.


    "You know, you could have ordered takeout," Xu Shuo said.


    "¡­"


    The girl''s figure stiffened for a moment, then she turned around with a nk expression and said, "Takeout isn''t healthy."


    Xu Shuo nced at the time¡ªit was almost one in the afternoon. He pushed aside the thin nket, got up, and offered, "Let me do it."


    Xu Xi decisively handed over the kitchen to him, including the burnt pan, which had some strange, ckened stuff stuck to the bottom, looking like something from a crematorium.


    The faint whiff of potato¡ªdid she turn potato strips into scorched rice?


    Xu Shuo poked at the mysterious charred mass on the bottom, scraped off the potato mash lumped together with a putty knife, revealing ayer of what resembled coal.


    Xu Xi sat up straight on the sofa, deep in thought, hesitant to interrupt the nging and banging from the kitchen. She originally wanted to ask something, but now she didn''t dare to.


    Never mind, she''ll ask next time.

 Chapter 55: Chapter 52 Between Players

    Xu Shuo used the remaining vegetables to make lunch for his sister once more before copsing back onto the sofa, massaging his forehead with a tired hand.


    However, this time after leaving the Scripted Murder Game, he wasn''t as exhausted as thest.


    It seems entering that game world really does consume spiritual power, no wonder the yer''s Handbook has a twenty-four-hour time restriction. If someone addicted to gaming yed frantically, they might just drop dead inside it.


    Xu Shuo summoned the yer''s Handbook, flipping past the pages for "Rainy Night Vi" and "The Fifth Hospital," and soon he came upon the words, "Resting. The next theatre will open its doors in 23 hours and 14 minutes."


    Last night, he had stayed up working until the early hours, barely aware as sleep overtook him until noon and was then abruptly pulled into a countdown in his dreams by the game.


    It seems he would have to regte his sleep schedule after this.


    Xu Shuo yawned, rising to freshen up.


    After he''d gotten ready and joined his sister at the dining table, Xu Xi nced at him and indifferently said, "Next time don''t exhaust yourself like this, otherwise I won''t be able to afford the rent for a two-bedroom apartment."


    "Don''t worry, I won''t drop dead," Xu Shuo, ustomed to his sister''s veiled sharp tongue, took a bite of shredded potatoes and asked, "When are you heading back to school tomorrow?"


    "There''s evening self-study. I''ll leave after lunch."


    "I could drop you off, then."


    "Aren''t you busy these next couple of days?"


    "True, then I won''t drop you off."


    Xu Xi: "..."


    The dining table soon fell silent, leaving only the sounds of utensils clinking.


    Xu Xi wasn''t much of a talker and ate slowly. By the time Xu Shuo had quickly finished his lunch and was about to rush off to thepany, she cast another probing nce at him.


    That kind of silent, intense gaze almost felt like it had the ability to see through Xu Shuo''s exterior to whaty inside.


    The girl''s wordless observation created a pressure that was difficult for people to handle and made her even more unapproachable, which was why aside from a close girlfriend, she scarcely had other friends.


    Before leaving the house, Xu Shuo suddenly looked back and said, "By the way, I''ve got a lot on at thepany today. I might note back tonight."


    Xu Xi nodded, "I''ll hang out with Li."


    After the siblings simply informed each other of their ns, the sound of the door closing came from the entryway. Xu Xi hung her head low, her thoughts unclear, with a subtle air of detion.


    She had wanted to ask him just now, but in the end, she didn''t.


    Lately, there was something off about her brother, an ufortable aura beginning to emanate from him.


    ¡­


    Driving to the office building, Xu Shuo yawned all the way to his workspace.


    As soon as he entered thepany, Pei Sheng''s annoying voice rang out, "I worry every day whether my boss is going to drop dead."


    The workspace operated on a standard nine-to-five schedule, but as it was a small startup team of six, everyone was fairly close andfortable with each other, so the rigid work hours were of little consequence.


    As long as the work was done, it was all that mattered.


    Xu Shuo had already sent over the game framework he had built the night before, and upon his arrival, the others were busy designing a new app, greeting him perfunctorily.


    "So it''s just you cking off, then?" Xu Shuo teased him before settling down at his desk and booting up hisptop.


    "How could that be? I''m busy working on the offline events. I''ve already arranged things with the decorationpany and the game equipment suppliers for you. Plus, I''ve posted the recruitment ads," Pei Sheng listed off his aplishments.


    At that moment, Li Ziwen approached with the project n from the previous night, and upon hearing the list of tasks, he looked to Xu Shuo and asked, "Are we going to run both offline and online operations? If so, our funds might fall short?"


    Xu Shuo frowned slightly, "It would be tight with the studio''s budget, I''ll transfer some more from my personal ountter on."


    Li Ziwen nodded without furtherment.


    Although on the surface it was a startup team of six young men, in reality, Xu Shuo was the boss since he had single-handedlyunched the workspace.


    The other five were technically employees helping out this particr boss.


    Only Pei Sheng was a wealthy second-generation with resources and influence. Initially lured in by Xu Shuo to invest and survive the toughest period, they eventually became a full-fledged team of six.


    However, all except for Pei Sheng specialized inputer science or rted fields, with Pei Sheng being the simplest salesperson in the studio.


    Because sending him out had a bonus effect. After all, when the Pei Family scion personally handles your business, could you possibly decline?


    The reason Pei Sheng was so willing, aside from being convinced by Xu Shuo, was because Xu Shuo had saved his life during one of his wild nights out, and that was also why the Pei Family allowed him to stay in this little studio.


    "How can I ever repay the debt of saving my life, except to devote myself to you!"


    Pei Sheng sidled up with a smug expression, excitedly saying, "Boss, since we''re short on good scripts right now, I had an ideast night. The story would begin with a hero saving the damsel, and the female lead¡ª"


    "Rejected," Xu Shuo interrupted before he could finish, slightly irritated, "Go talk to Ziwen about it, don''t bother me while I''m working."


    Li Ziwen was responsible for project design, and script selection was also part of his tasks.


    Upon hearing this, Pei Sheng turned toward theposed young man with sses sitting beside him and immediately lost interest.


    ...


    The surroundings finally quieted down, Xu Shuo got busy with some work, took a short break to have a sip of tea, and incidentally opened the yer''s Handbook to take a look.


    The handbook featured a forum function, which sometimes served as a way to kill time during breaks.


    In that span of time, Xu Shuo found that he had acquired a few more fans, reaching double digits, but there was still not a single message in his inbox.


    So, why exactly is there such a thing as fans?


    As a system that seemed like a reincarnation space for Scripted Murder Games, it was designed just like the entertainment industry in the real world, with functionalities for posting discussions and even features for fans and followers.


    After entering the "Square," he casually browsed the posts, and many people were still discussing the mysterious removal of "The Fifth Hospital" script, and judging by the heated discussion, it seemed to be a topic that could be talked about joyfully for several days.


    The people here, just likeizens, loved to gossip and tap away on keyboards.


    No difference from the real world.


    One just didn''t know if those who had yed the same Scripted Murder Game as him still had any chance to meet in the real world?


    However, with billions of people worldwide, the odds were probably not too high.


    As Xu Shuo thought about it, he idly scrolled through posts, and suddenly he saw a reply that was gradually rising in heat.


    [I was at the scene! I was really at the scene! I yed a patient, and the temporal chaos in that Scripted Murder Game nearly drove me insane! It''s not that I yed the game, the game yed me!]


    The reply also came with a screenshot of the Performed Scripts, where "The Fifth Hospital" script was indicated as "Blocked," confirming that he had indeed participated.


    Although his participation didn''t necessarily mean it was the particr game with the bug, at least he had yed the script.


    The replies to this particr post had already stacked up to hundreds ofyers.


    Xu Shuo slightly raised his eyebrows, wondering if he had really encountered a yer from the same script.


    He clicked on the reply to view thements within the thread, where the excited yer briefly described how he, as a patient, was tormented by the hospital and couldn''tplete the tasks even if it killed him.


    In other people''sments, some were sting him, while others were skeptical.


    Xu Shuo patiently read through each response, and gradually he pieced together some information.


    In previous performances of "The Fifth Hospital" Scripted Murder Game, the number of yers was fixed at five, and there were also five main quests, which showed no problems.


    The key topleting this script was for the yers, who were opposing each other, toplete more than 50% of the main quests together before Doctor Chen Chu murdered Patient No. 13, triggering a countdown timer in the game.


    Subsequently, the hospital''s time would reset, everything going back to the beginning, and any previouslypleted quests would be erased. The next half an hour was the final showdown time for the yers.


    Simple, right? Just like clearing a game level!


    The hardest part was figuring out how to get opposing yers to work together toplete half of the main quests without knowing, triggering a game countdown timer that would not be reset by time.


    But the yers roasting the original poster pointed out the most critical fact: The Fifth Hospital script had no temporal chaos!


    Xu Shuo stroked his chin, thought of Luo Kun, who was almost driven crazy, and how even as an NPC, he noticed the world''s time looping and was secretly manipting time points.


    Could it be that this guy was the bug in the script?


    It indeed was a huge bug. Poor Patient No. 8 didn''t even know how many times he had run out of the hospital only to be pulled back by Luo Kun''s temporal chaos.


    No wonder his Resentment Energy was so enormous.


    Xu Shuo looked somewhat amusedly at the original poster of the reply.


    From the poster''s fragmented words, he guessed that this yer iming to have participated in that script must have yed the role of Patient No. 8, Tao Tao.


    The little girl who was killed by Doctor Chu.


    Xu Shuo casually clicked into the person''s user profile, but the information avable appeared to be quite limited, such as the most important details like the yer''s skill items and performance points couldn''t be seen.


    The "Performed Scripts" section was essible, though.


    In this person''s list of Performed Scripts, "The Fifth Hospital" was not there, as it seemed that other yers couldn''t see the scripts in a blocked status.


    However, there were seven other scripts that the yer had participated in listed there.


    He looked like an experienced yer, right?


    But then, why did he seem so naive and innocent in the hospital?


    Xu Shuo tentatively clicked on one of the scripts the person had participated in, and quickly, the yer window popped up, starting the yback of the script "Dancer in the Dark."


    It was the familiar eerie background music with character portraits and introductions. After the opening credits, a gloomy dance studio appeared on the screen.


    Were yers'' participated scripts avable for anyone to watch?


    Xu Shuo''s lips curled into an interested smile. He adjusted his office chair to a morefortable position and then focused on watching the movie that began to y in mid-air.


    A movie that didn''t require a screen.

 Chapter 56: Chapter 53 Theres No Such Person

    Xu Shuo finished watching the film, and it turned out to be a script that followed a bizarre and supernatural genre, with five yers, a case happening, and a process of conducting an investigation to restore the story.


    However, what ran through the whole course was omnipresent darkness and strangeness.


    He rubbed his chin, thinking again of that hospital script. The longer the yers stayed inside, the stranger the hospital seemed to be, sharing an uncanny resemnce with this "Dancer in the Dark" Scripted Murder Game.


    Although he hardly noticed that sense of strangeness while in the game, the people around him had reacted.


    From the initially calm Director Zhang, to the doctors, and then to the other hospital staff, their minds ended up as if they had been eroded, bing paranoid and distorted.


    ...ying these games really does consume spiritual power.


    After Xu Shuo finished watching a "movie" and exited the list of performed scripts of that person, he casually followed them, bing one among their four-digit number of fans.


    Upon returning to the square, the hot topic that was being discussed had changed.


    The person who posted was still the same one who had dominated the headlines before, but this time, the post had shifted from news reporting to plot analysis.


    Xu Shuo clicked in to watch with renewed enthusiasm.


    ording to the poster''s description, they had interviewed that "on-site" yer and obtained rtively reliable information. Moreover, another one of the five yers from that script had also contacted them.


    With this, the events that urred in the script started to be threaded together.


    Everyone already knew from the previous yable scripts that the five yer characters in "The Fifth Hospital" were: doctor, nurse, janitor, Patient No. 6, and Patient No. 8.


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo paused: "..."


    What?


    He was stunned for a moment, then looked closely at that passage again to make sure he had not read it wrong.


    Xu Shuo collected his thoughts and continued reading with a little more seriousness.


    Toplete this Scripted Murder Game, there were two approaches. The first method was to uncover the mystery of Patient No. 13''s death, thereby breaking the hospital''s time loop, after which the yers could start the final battle.


    The second method was for the yers to collectivelyplete the main quest to 50% before Patient No. 13''s death, directly triggering the game''s end countdown, and then enter the final battle.


    The yers who had performed this script before had used the first method, and they had used the second one as well.


    But in the strategy posts, most people believed the second method was best because it greatly shortened the time required to restore the story of the script, allowing for a quicker end to the game.


    The veteran yers all knew that the longer you stayed in the game, the more depleted their spiritual power became, affecting their judgment of the overall game.


    However, the difficulty with the second method was how the yers were to work together in unison.


    After all, would anyone speak the truth in a Scripted Murder Game?


    You could tell them, but they wouldn''t believe you.


    [ording to the descriptions from those two yers, their approach in ying was the second kind¡ªthey triggered the game''s end countdown inadvertently.]


    [It was just unintentional.]


    Afterwards, the poster listed out the five main tasks from the past performances of "The Fifth Hospital" script.


    Task One: Escape The Fifth Hospital.


    Task Two: Set fire to The Fifth Hospital.


    Task Three: Blow up The Fifth Hospital.


    Task Four: Prevent The Fifth Hospital from being destroyed.


    Task Five: Protect all the patients in The Fifth Hospital.


    [ssic 211 mode, two independent tasks, one opposing task, and one global task. The doctor''s role is rtively heavy, so it''s normally yed by the highest-level person among the five yers.]


    Independent tasks are to trigger the countdown mechanism, which are usually the easiest tasks.


    Opposing tasks are intended to incitepetition between yers, making the game more rich and exciting, and they are also the tasks with the most rewards and challenges because one side is bound to fail.


    As for the global task, that refers to tasks that can only bepleted after the game has ended.


    Global tasks are also often jokingly referred to by veteran yers as "work dogs", because the yers who get these tasks can''t ck off afterpleting their own tasks like other yers. They have to keep a close watch on the overall game until the end, without a moment''s rest, otherwise, a small mistake could lead to task failure.


    ...


    After reading up to this point very seriously, Xu Shuo realized a fact.


    "Chen Chu," that character, wasn''t a yer character at all!


    Then why was he assigned there?


    Xu Shuo opened his yer''s Handbook and flipped to the skills section. Chen Chu''s Character Card was indeed obtained, the special skill was also received, and there were performance points too, yet this post was telling him that he yed a role that didn''t exist?!


    Are the roles of yers in every script fixed and unchangeable?


    Or even if the characters in the Scripted Murder Game originally weren''t "yable" roles, could they still be yed and rewarded after a yer entered?


    He really had too many questions!


    Why isn''t there a manual for new users with this system?


    Grumbling to himself, Xu Shuo continued scrolling through the posts, bing even more serious now.


    After all, it concerned the "nonexistent" character he yed.


    Xu Shuo still hadn''t forgotten the warning prompt the system had once given him when he wanted to ept the memories of the Character Card, although he now felt that it seemed to have no effect on him.


    ...


    Following the release of a new analysis post by this quite credible forum master, the entire square became particrly lively, with the thread quickly receiving thousands of replies.


    Xu Shuo had wanted to study it a bit more, but just then, someone drifted over to him.


    "Boss, I''ve noticed you''ve been staring at thin air and spaced out for half an hour."


    "..." Xu Shuo quickly came back to his senses, turned his head to look at Pei Sheng beside him, then looked down at the time on hisptop.


    Yikes, neglecting my duties, forgetting about work!


    Scrolling through forum posts is really dangerous!


    Stupid game, you''re distracting me from making money!


    Without batting an eye, he closed the yer''s Handbook, turned to Pei Sheng, and asked, "What''s up?"


    Pei Sheng pointed at his diamond-encrusted watch and said with a grin, "It''s four-thirty, and I have half an hour left off work, so it''s time to take you to the store to have a look."


    Xu Shuo closed hisptop and stood up, "Let''s go now then."


    He was very attentive to the offline store because he nned to further develop it into Game City. When choosing the location initially, he had specifically looked at the positions of the two adjacent stores.


    It''s just that he didn''t have the money to do something that big right now.


    ...


    The two drove back to the trendy pedestrian street in Heiyu District. Since it was the legal holiday of May Day, there were many people these days.


    The construction team Pei Sheng had contacted was also fast, already surveying the site, and when the two arrived, the person in charge handed over the draft design sketch to discuss the needed renovations.


    "Three rooms need to be partitioned, using materials with better soundproofing. Additionally, a corridor should be separated here." Xu Shuo said, holding the draft sketch, exining his rough idea.


    "Boss, I actually think it''s possible to make five rooms," Pei Sheng suggested, leaning in.


    "Too cramped, not a good visual effect," Xu Shuo frowned.


    "Then for this corridor, are you considering connecting it with the floors next door in the future?" He pointed to another line nearby and asked.


    "Yep, one should have dreams," replied Xu Shuo calmly, nodding. Pei Sheng gave him an admiring look and a thumbs up.


    The store''s first floor originally was a beverage shop with pretty delicate decorations, which Xu Shuo did not want topletely demolish and rebuild; instead, he nned to transform the first floor into a reception and tea break room.


    After inspecting the store, it was already past five-thirty when the two came out.


    Pei Sheng had worked half an hour of overtime and hinted that he wanted overtime pay.


    Xu Shuo stood on the sidewalk, listening to the chatter at his side, and casually nced at the bustling street. Suddenly, at the same spot as yesterday, he spotted the same two people.


    After buying milk tea, the girls continued to walk towards the ce they had visited yesterday.


    Xu Shuo had guessed at lunchtime that Xu Xi would probably go out to y with her friend again today since the May Day holidaysted three continuous days, and they couldn''t just lie at home the whole time.


    However, he hadn''t expected them to go to the same ce again.


    "Fengdu Escape Room," Xu Shuo read the sign aloud, his eyes showing increased interest.


    "Ah?" Pei Sheng, who was beside him, heard the noise and instinctively looked towards the slightly chilling sign and narrow staircase, recognizing it as the ce they had discussed yesterday.


    "Let''s go, I''ll use your overtime pay to take you for a spin there."


    Xu Shuo began walking over, with Pei Sheng full of question marks following along while saying, "Bro, that ce doesn''t suit my image! If others see me there, they''ll think I''m so poor I have no money."


    "You can do without the overtime pay, too," Xu Shuo replied.


    "No, let''s go! It''s rare for you to give overtime pay. Even though it''s in a different form, I must take it!"


    ...


    The stairs to the escape room were dim, with a single ancient oilmp-style lighting fixture on the narrow walls shining on the steps, emitting a creaking noise.


    Although it looked nearly worn out and abandoned, the wood actually concealed a very sturdy metal staircase underneath.


    The atmosphere was set quite well.


    As Xu Shuo silently assessed it, he observed the still slightly dimly lit reception area after climbing the stairs.


    The store yed low and soothing music, without a feeling of eeriness, but rather quite rxing, reminiscent of thezy style found in a quiet bar.


    Xu Xi was initially registering at the front desk when suddenly, it seemed like a radar went off in her mind, causing her to turn her head around abruptly and lock eyes with Xu Shuo, who was also looking her way.


    "Quite a coincidence," Xu Shuo greeted with a smile.


    Xu Xi was surprised; she truly hadn''t expected to bump into her workaholic brother here.


    However, when the following Pei Sheng saw her, his eyes lit up immediately, and he excitedly pushed past Xu Shuo to approach her, "You must be Xi, right? I''m a brother of your brother; could I perhaps get your WeChat?"


    Xu Xi ignored him, while the girl standing next to her turned her head out of curiosity after hearing the voice. After a strange gaze over this man hitting on her friend, she followed Xu Xi''s gaze backward.


    Then the girl''s eyes also brightened, and she happily said, "Xi, your brother is here too, that''s perfect, let''s y together?"

 Chapter 57: Chapter 54 This game is not fun at all!

    "Bro." Xu Xi called out, her gaze still holding some confusion as she looked at him.


    Since they weren''t nning to go back for dinner tonight, the two had wandered around all day and, feeling somewhat bored, decided to y a Scripted Murder Game to pass the time, which was perfect for people with nothing better to do thanks to its lengthy gamey.


    To their surprise, they ran into Xu Shuo, who also didn''t seem to n on returning home for dinner.


    So this is your "busy"?


    "I just came here to handle some things with him, and then I saw you guys," Xu Shuo said as he walked over, not bothering to hide anything, then asked, "What are you ying?"


    Xu Xi''s best friend Yang Lili happily picked up a small brochure and handed it over, speaking up first, "We heard that this ce has a new Scripted Murder Game, so Xi and I came over to y. Xu Shuo, are you guys going to join in?"


    Before Xu Shuo could finish speaking, Pei Sheng very willingly chimed in, "y! Definitely y!"


    After ying, they could casually ask the cute girls for their WeChat and make ns to y together again next time!


    Xu Shuo nced at him, said nothing, and lowered his head to look at the brochure that had just been handed to him.


    It was a list of scripted murder games.


    At this point, the eager receptionist finally found an opportunity to interject, saying enthusiastically, "These twodies came over wanting to y, but we were short of two people, now that the two handsome guys have joined, we have just enough yers!"


    Xu Shuo looked at the brochure and asked, "What are you ying?"


    Xu Xi flipped through a few pages of the booklet in his hand, and a dazzling cover image appeared on the dark paper¡ªa twisted title in the top left corner: "The Woman by the Window."


    Then Xu Xi said, "They say that this script is quite popr among neers, so we decided to give it a try."


    Yang Lili then leaned towards Xu Shuo, whispering with a hint of amusement, "Xu Shuo, let me tell you, we actually yed this game yesterday, and based on rmendations, we yed an ''Old Locust Tree'' scenario, but¡ª"


    "Less than ten minutes into the game, the murderer was pinpointed by Xi; there was no challenge at all!"


    The receptionist lurking nearby cringed with embarrassment.


    Yesterday, it was said that the twodies were ying a Scripted Murder Game for the first time and wanted something quirky and fun, extraordinarily so; hence, they rmended this Mutant Script.


    But they didn''t expect the game to end so quickly. Today, when the twodies returned, eager to retain customers, they suggested "The Woman by the Window," a slightly more challenging script for neers.


    However, the game required four males and two females. The store already had two male yers waiting, and with Xu Xi and Yang Lili''s arrival, they were still short of two yers. They had considered leaving if the wait was too long.


    But then they ran into Xu Shuo and his friend.


    After a brief look at the script''s introduction, Xu Shuo nodded, "Well, let''s y then."


    "Didn''t you say you were very busy today? Is it okay to leave your work?" Xu Xi, however, suddenly asked in a hushed tone.


    "Hmm?" Xu Shuo pondered for a moment, "There''s a way¡ª"


    He hadn''t finished speaking when Pei Sheng swiftly covered his mouth, then seriously told the receptionist, "We''ll y, four people, how much in total?"


    The receptionist quickly brought up the bill like a sh of lightning and held up the QR code scanner, looking at him expectantly; Pei Sheng promptly paid it.


    Afterpleting the transaction, he released Xu Shuo and pretended to look for a ce, ncing around, "Where do we y?"


    Xu Shuo wiped his mouth, annoyed, but said nothing more¡ªhe was just trying to tease Xu Xi a bit.


    Havinge all this way, how could he possibly not y?


    Another staff member quickly led them inside. Previously, the shop had focused on escape rooms but also amodated some board games. With the rise of Scripted Murder Games, they had partitioned off a small corner with screens, arranging a few sofas and tables for gamers to y.


    Pei Sheng looked at the ce and muttered to himself that it was creepily cold.


    However, the offline Scripted Murder Game had just started to gain poprity, and it was already not bad for many cities to have shops open for y.


    At this point, two guys were already sitting on the sofa, ying with dice to kill time. When they saw peopleing in, they put everything away.


    "Can we start the game now?"


    "Yes, ''The Woman by the Window'' Scripted Murder Game," the staff said, holding the script.


    "Never yed it before, sounds good," both men said with a smile.


    Six people sat down around the table, each keeping a bit of distance from each other, with the staff member who brought them in hosting the game.


    Before distributing the character scripts, they had to answer questions and take a personality test in order to choose a script, ensuring the yers received scripts that better suited their personalities.


    It was actually Xu Shuo''s first time ying the offline Scripted Murder Game. Although he had watched simr programs before and understood the process, he had never tried it himself.


    After everyone finished the test and while the host was organizing the scripts, the six people chatted casually for a bit.


    The two guys were college students who came to y the Scripted Murder Game on a whim during their school break, figuring if they got into a game, great; if not, they''d just kill time.


    "They say this Scripted Murder Game is actually adapted from a real event, involving a terrifying case that might include elements of mild horror and the bizarre," one guy said, casting nces at the two girls from time to time.


    "No problem, we like it," Yang Lili said, raising a smile, while Xu Xi, sitting next to her, was still cold and expressionless.


    "Do you guyse to y often?" the other person continued to chat.


    So Pei Sheng, who was sitting nearby, couldn''t sit still and joined the conversation, making the scene quite lively. They even looked like they were about to start exchanging contacts to meet up again next time.


    Xu Shuo watched them without speaking and casually took his own script when the host came over to hand it out.


    "The game now begins, you all have ten minutes to read Act One of the script," the host said, holding a bunch of props and addressing the six yers from the main seat: "Also, please do not turn to the next page until you havepleted the current stage of the script."


    Suddenly, everyone got into the zone, needing to read the script within the limited time to understand their character''s identity and, if there were any issues with their identity, to quicklye up with excuses to rid themselves of suspicion.


    Xu Shuo nced briefly at his own script, then scanned each person''s expressions before once again focusing on analyzing his own script.


    But as he looked more closely, he suddenly felt something was off.


    This identity... The things this person does...


    Why does it look so much like a murderer''s?


    No, this guy is actually the murderer, right?!


    So is there some sort of curse, why can''t he escape the role of a murderer even when ying an offline Scripted Murder Game? Can''t they give him a more rxed, simple identity?


    Xu Shuo stared at his script, his face calm and without much expression, but internally he was at a loss for words.


    Stupid game, not fun at all!


    ¡­


    ¡­


    PS: ''The Woman by the Window'' and ''Old Locust Tree'' are both existing scripts in real life, not original creations in the text. Interested readers can check them out.

 Chapter 59: Chapter 56 Is There a Possibility?

    Xu Shuo returned to the studio and dealt with the game proposals left by his employees, then continued to work overtime, hoping to get the game app out as soon as possible.


    However, by around nine in the evening, he packed up and went home because of that Script Space, Xu Shuo nned to adjust his working hours back to normal for the next few days.


    Overtime was okay, but staying upte was out of the question. Otherwise, if he had to spend more energy in the game again, he didn''t know if he could keep going.


    A small light was left on in the entrance of the rental apartment; Xu Xi had returned early and was now reviewing in her room.


    Xu Shuo didn''t disturb her. Aftering back, he took a shower, then went to bed early, closed his eyes, and seemingly fell asleep. In reality, his consciousness entered the Script Space, where he opened the yer''s Handbook.


    This was probably what it felt like to party alone in a secret base.


    He couldn''t wait to go directly to the "square," where he found that the hot topic was still "The Fifth Hospital." If this were social media, the topic would have hung on the top for a remarkably long time.


    Xu Shuo found the post he had been reading before. He only got through half of itst time, and he hadn''t finished reading the author''s analysis.


    Only an afternoon had passed, and the responses to the post had already reached tens of thousands of floors. He hadn''t expected that there were so many yers in this Script Space?


    Xu Shuo continued reading from where he left offst time.


    ...


    In the character analysis, the yer character "Doctor Chen Chu" did not originally exist in the hospital script. ording to the ounts of two yers in that particr scripted murder game, Doctor Chen Chu made very strange moves, which differed from the usual script arrangements.


    In every Scripted Murder Game, aside from yer characters, other NPCs will only act ording to their original trajectories. Without any special incidents, they won''t perform any actions beyond the script.


    The role of Doctor Chen Chu was to kill patient number thirteen at a specific time to initiate the time loop.


    Some yers had tried to eliminate Doctor Chen Chu before, but the time loop would still be triggered since a rather pesky suicide mechanism for patient number thirteen would be activated...


    So, the time loop was inevitable.


    But in that game, Doctor Chen Chu seemed to be very involved, and the yers experienced no less than ten instances of time distortion!


    It wasn''t just a simple reset loop, but time confusion brought them back to any point in a previous loop, happening at random, twisting the order over a dozen times.


    Moreover, in that scenario, patient number six didn''t seem to be a yer.


    [yers aren''t that creepy!] proimed Patient No. 8, who was a yer.


    Because if the main task for patient number six, the yer, was to burn down the hospital, her task would have already beenpleted. There was no need to keep following him.


    He was a yer, and the interpretation value gained by staying by his side was limited, simply not worth it!


    What''s more, the main task even changed after the game ended!


    Xu Shuo paused slightly upon reading this.


    He wasn''t concerned about the potential exposure of his role, but ording to the yers, staying by an NPC to act seemed to harvest some sort of interpretation value?


    No wonder that nurse was so determined to stick around Luo Kun?


    Furthermore, during the final showdown, all the yers acted as if possessed by the spirits of actors, performing more realistically than anyone, as if they were the actual figures from that scene.


    Was it because he and Luo Kun, these two NPCs, were present?


    Then how could one distinguish which NPCs could yield interpretation value?


    If there was a unique way to tell, then Director Zhang, being a yer himself, wouldn''t have hesitated over whether "Chen Chu" was a yer, and there was no hint in the game about who was a yer.


    Xu Shuo really had too many questions, yet this Scripted Murder Game had no guide for new yers. It wasn''t newbie-friendly at all.


    ...


    [So our final spection is that the BUG in the script lies in the character of Doctor Chen Chu, who very likely has Awakened!]


    What is character awakening?


    Xu Shuo had a mental question mark.


    However, this analysis post finally shifted the focus onto "Chen Chu." They believed he was the reason for the chaos.


    The role responsible for the time loop encountering a BUG led to the copse of the entire script, the sixth patient became amon NPC, and under the influence of the ''distortion,'' she acquired strange abilities, joining forces with the already mad patient number thirteen topletely destroy "The Fifth Hospital"!


    Xu Shuo curled his lip in disbelief. He was unconvinced. It was Luo Kun, that little pervert, who had messed up the timeline, so why should it fall on him when it had nothing to do with Chen Chu at all?


    At most, Chen Chu was just possessed by him.


    In the original script, Chen Chu''s only actions were to execute the murder and then initiate the time loop. To break the loop, one had to either stop Chen Chu''s murderous actions or trigger the game over countdown.


    To stop Chen Chu, one needed to restore the script story, delve into clues to resolve the NPCs'' emotional issues, a significant time investment.


    Logically, after going through two or three loops, most yers should have realized the need to cooperate and trigger the game over countdown mechanism together.


    Because the difficulty of the assessment scripts was horrifyingpared to the ordinary ones, they could erode the consciousness of the yers and cause confusion in thinking. Therefore, no experienced yers would waste time in an assessment script, particrly a second-level one.


    Second-level assessment script?


    Xu Shuo had another mental question mark.


    When he entered "The Fifth Hospital" script, he did indeed hear the system mention it was an assessment script. But there are levels to it?


    With this thought, Xu Shuo temporarily exited the post and opened the profile page of the yer he was previously looking at. Under the yer''s level category, he saw the words "Second Level."


    Afterward, Xu Shuo opened his personal panel.


    Behind the avatar and name, his yer level was "Level 1." He clicked on the level but no exnatory prompt appeared.


    This game really isn''t very newbie-friendly.


    Xu Shuo went back to the forum to continue reading posts.


    "As everyone knows, the ''son'' of all thedies here, the great god Yang Lei, is an Awakened NPC character. There''s a certain chance that even characters we treat as virtual within the game''s scripted scenarios can awaken and be yer characters!"


    What?


    NPCs can be yers?!


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow and held his chin in thought, Could it be that I am actually an NPC from the real world?


    Wait a second, there''s a problem¡ª


    This analysis post centers on "Doctor Chen Chu being the Awakened," but actually, it''s always been Luo Kun stirring things up.


    It''s just that the guy is a madman with ill-intent towards The Fifth Hospital, and his actions have not strayed from his usual scripted behavior, so no one suspects him.


    Instead, it''s the character of Doctor Chen Chu, whether it''s the act of going to the archives room or leading the yers to start the game countdown in the fourth round, and especially killing Luo Kun in thest few seconds of the game''s end, all of which are filled with suspicious traces.


    But actually, all this was based on Xu Shuo''s efforts toplete the mission, operating as a yer character.


    So, it''s actually Luo Kun who should be the real Awakened one, right?


    Xu Shuo took a sharp intake of breath. ording to the analysis post, this meant that Luo Kun might have be a yer!


    He really didn''t want to see that lunatic again, who went out of his way to n his death, refused medication unless threatened, and was only interested in watching the drama unfold with his unstable mind.


    At this moment, Patient No. 8''s yer spoke up again in the forum thread.


    "Um... is there a possibility, I mean maybe, that Doctor Chen Chu is actually the yer of Patient No. 6 who ended up in the wrong body?"


    "..."


    "..."


    After all, "The Fifth Hospital" script space has five yer characters, five main missions.


    And at the game''s end, the main mission on the panel was [Kill the patient Luo Kun in ward thirteen.]


    Who would want to kill Luo Kun?


    That would only be Doctor Chen Chu''s second personality!


    "But there has never been such a precedent before. The characters that yers can possess are fixed; in previously ''discontinued'' scripted scenarios, only ''NPC Awakening'' and ''World Copse'' situations have urred."


    "So where did the Patient No. 6 yer go?"


    "The hospital was ultimately burned down, right? There''s no need for it if that yer wasn''t present."


    "Here I need to say something, I''m the nurse, and it was the patient in ward thirteen who told me to burn down the hospital. That madman wanted to reenact something from over a decade ago."


    "So, did the yer of Patient No. 6 actually end up in Patient No. 13''s body?"


    "Didn''t you say the possession list is fixed?"


    "Then why would the main mission involve Patient No. 13, unless it''s because Chen Chu needed to do this task."


    "Dr. Chen Chu joined the Script Space immediately after he awakened?"


    "There''s a problem, even if he awakened, the original five yers who were supposed to enter the script were also set from the beginning."


    "Right! So where did the Patient No. 6 yer really go?"


    "..."


    Yeah, where did he go?


    Xu Shuo watched the forum users argue with interest. Although the heavyweight poster had analyzed the "Doctor Chen Chu character" as Awakened, there were still some yers who suspected that other characters could have awakened.


    Like the patient in ward thirteen?


    And even if the possessor list is fixed, it doesn''t mean exceptions can''t be made!


    The imaginations ofizens are limitless, and sometimes they might discuss and uncover the true nature of events in a moment of epiphany.


    But the word "discussion" itself remains spective and uncertain regarding the facts, so it can only ever be "discussion," not a definitive conclusion.


    As for Xu Shuo, the covert center of this discussion, he wouldn''t jump out at this time and reveal that he is the character of Doctor Chen Chu.


    That would simply be asking for trouble.


    Besides, if Luo Kun had really Awakened as the yers had discussed, then he seemed likely to join the Script Space and woulde into contact with these things...


    Xu Shuo decided to keep the identity of Chen Chu to himself!


    After all, once a script is discontinued, the ''Performed Scripts'' column for yers would not be disclosed, and no one would know he had participated in "The Fifth Hospital." He was just a newbie who knew nothing.

 Chapter 59: Chapter 56 Is There a Possibility?

    Xu Shuo returned to the studio and dealt with the game proposals left by his employees, then continued to work overtime, hoping to get the game app out as soon as possible.


    However, by around nine in the evening, he packed up and went home because of that Script Space, Xu Shuo nned to adjust his working hours back to normal for the next few days.


    Overtime was okay, but staying upte was out of the question. Otherwise, if he had to spend more energy in the game again, he didn''t know if he could keep going.


    A small light was left on in the entrance of the rental apartment; Xu Xi had returned early and was now reviewing in her room.


    Xu Shuo didn''t disturb her. Aftering back, he took a shower, then went to bed early, closed his eyes, and seemingly fell asleep. In reality, his consciousness entered the Script Space, where he opened the yer''s Handbook.


    This was probably what it felt like to party alone in a secret base.


    He couldn''t wait to go directly to the "square," where he found that the hot topic was still "The Fifth Hospital." If this were social media, the topic would have hung on the top for a remarkably long time.


    Xu Shuo found the post he had been reading before. He only got through half of itst time, and he hadn''t finished reading the author''s analysis.


    Only an afternoon had passed, and the responses to the post had already reached tens of thousands of floors. He hadn''t expected that there were so many yers in this Script Space?


    Xu Shuo continued reading from where he left offst time.


    ...


    In the character analysis, the yer character "Doctor Chen Chu" did not originally exist in the hospital script. ording to the ounts of two yers in that particr scripted murder game, Doctor Chen Chu made very strange moves, which differed from the usual script arrangements.


    In every Scripted Murder Game, aside from yer characters, other NPCs will only act ording to their original trajectories. Without any special incidents, they won''t perform any actions beyond the script.


    The role of Doctor Chen Chu was to kill patient number thirteen at a specific time to initiate the time loop.


    Some yers had tried to eliminate Doctor Chen Chu before, but the time loop would still be triggered since a rather pesky suicide mechanism for patient number thirteen would be activated...


    So, the time loop was inevitable.


    But in that game, Doctor Chen Chu seemed to be very involved, and the yers experienced no less than ten instances of time distortion!


    It wasn''t just a simple reset loop, but time confusion brought them back to any point in a previous loop, happening at random, twisting the order over a dozen times.


    Moreover, in that scenario, patient number six didn''t seem to be a yer.


    [yers aren''t that creepy!] proimed Patient No. 8, who was a yer.


    Because if the main task for patient number six, the yer, was to burn down the hospital, her task would have already beenpleted. There was no need to keep following him.


    He was a yer, and the interpretation value gained by staying by his side was limited, simply not worth it!


    What''s more, the main task even changed after the game ended!


    Xu Shuo paused slightly upon reading this.


    He wasn''t concerned about the potential exposure of his role, but ording to the yers, staying by an NPC to act seemed to harvest some sort of interpretation value?


    No wonder that nurse was so determined to stick around Luo Kun?


    Furthermore, during the final showdown, all the yers acted as if possessed by the spirits of actors, performing more realistically than anyone, as if they were the actual figures from that scene.


    Was it because he and Luo Kun, these two NPCs, were present?


    Then how could one distinguish which NPCs could yield interpretation value?


    If there was a unique way to tell, then Director Zhang, being a yer himself, wouldn''t have hesitated over whether "Chen Chu" was a yer, and there was no hint in the game about who was a yer.


    Xu Shuo really had too many questions, yet this Scripted Murder Game had no guide for new yers. It wasn''t newbie-friendly at all.


    ...


    [So our final spection is that the BUG in the script lies in the character of Doctor Chen Chu, who very likely has Awakened!]


    What is character awakening?


    Xu Shuo had a mental question mark.


    However, this analysis post finally shifted the focus onto "Chen Chu." They believed he was the reason for the chaos.


    The role responsible for the time loop encountering a BUG led to the copse of the entire script, the sixth patient became amon NPC, and under the influence of the ''distortion,'' she acquired strange abilities, joining forces with the already mad patient number thirteen topletely destroy "The Fifth Hospital"!


    Xu Shuo curled his lip in disbelief. He was unconvinced. It was Luo Kun, that little pervert, who had messed up the timeline, so why should it fall on him when it had nothing to do with Chen Chu at all?


    At most, Chen Chu was just possessed by him.


    In the original script, Chen Chu''s only actions were to execute the murder and then initiate the time loop. To break the loop, one had to either stop Chen Chu''s murderous actions or trigger the game over countdown.


    To stop Chen Chu, one needed to restore the script story, delve into clues to resolve the NPCs'' emotional issues, a significant time investment.


    Logically, after going through two or three loops, most yers should have realized the need to cooperate and trigger the game over countdown mechanism together.


    Because the difficulty of the assessment scripts was horrifyingpared to the ordinary ones, they could erode the consciousness of the yers and cause confusion in thinking. Therefore, no experienced yers would waste time in an assessment script, particrly a second-level one.


    Second-level assessment script?


    Xu Shuo had another mental question mark.


    When he entered "The Fifth Hospital" script, he did indeed hear the system mention it was an assessment script. But there are levels to it?


    With this thought, Xu Shuo temporarily exited the post and opened the profile page of the yer he was previously looking at. Under the yer''s level category, he saw the words "Second Level."


    Afterward, Xu Shuo opened his personal panel.


    Behind the avatar and name, his yer level was "Level 1." He clicked on the level but no exnatory prompt appeared.


    This game really isn''t very newbie-friendly.


    Xu Shuo went back to the forum to continue reading posts.


    "As everyone knows, the ''son'' of all thedies here, the great god Yang Lei, is an Awakened NPC character. There''s a certain chance that even characters we treat as virtual within the game''s scripted scenarios can awaken and be yer characters!"


    What?


    NPCs can be yers?!


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow and held his chin in thought, Could it be that I am actually an NPC from the real world?


    Wait a second, there''s a problem¡ª


    This analysis post centers on "Doctor Chen Chu being the Awakened," but actually, it''s always been Luo Kun stirring things up.


    It''s just that the guy is a madman with ill-intent towards The Fifth Hospital, and his actions have not strayed from his usual scripted behavior, so no one suspects him.


    Instead, it''s the character of Doctor Chen Chu, whether it''s the act of going to the archives room or leading the yers to start the game countdown in the fourth round, and especially killing Luo Kun in thest few seconds of the game''s end, all of which are filled with suspicious traces.


    But actually, all this was based on Xu Shuo''s efforts toplete the mission, operating as a yer character.


    So, it''s actually Luo Kun who should be the real Awakened one, right?


    Xu Shuo took a sharp intake of breath. ording to the analysis post, this meant that Luo Kun might have be a yer!


    He really didn''t want to see that lunatic again, who went out of his way to n his death, refused medication unless threatened, and was only interested in watching the drama unfold with his unstable mind.


    At this moment, Patient No. 8''s yer spoke up again in the forum thread.


    "Um... is there a possibility, I mean maybe, that Doctor Chen Chu is actually the yer of Patient No. 6 who ended up in the wrong body?"


    "..."


    "..."


    After all, "The Fifth Hospital" script space has five yer characters, five main missions.


    And at the game''s end, the main mission on the panel was [Kill the patient Luo Kun in ward thirteen.]


    Who would want to kill Luo Kun?


    That would only be Doctor Chen Chu''s second personality!


    "But there has never been such a precedent before. The characters that yers can possess are fixed; in previously ''discontinued'' scripted scenarios, only ''NPC Awakening'' and ''World Copse'' situations have urred."


    "So where did the Patient No. 6 yer go?"


    "The hospital was ultimately burned down, right? There''s no need for it if that yer wasn''t present."


    "Here I need to say something, I''m the nurse, and it was the patient in ward thirteen who told me to burn down the hospital. That madman wanted to reenact something from over a decade ago."


    "So, did the yer of Patient No. 6 actually end up in Patient No. 13''s body?"


    "Didn''t you say the possession list is fixed?"


    "Then why would the main mission involve Patient No. 13, unless it''s because Chen Chu needed to do this task."


    "Dr. Chen Chu joined the Script Space immediately after he awakened?"


    "There''s a problem, even if he awakened, the original five yers who were supposed to enter the script were also set from the beginning."


    "Right! So where did the Patient No. 6 yer really go?"


    "..."


    Yeah, where did he go?


    Xu Shuo watched the forum users argue with interest. Although the heavyweight poster had analyzed the "Doctor Chen Chu character" as Awakened, there were still some yers who suspected that other characters could have awakened.


    Like the patient in ward thirteen?


    And even if the possessor list is fixed, it doesn''t mean exceptions can''t be made!


    The imaginations ofizens are limitless, and sometimes they might discuss and uncover the true nature of events in a moment of epiphany.


    But the word "discussion" itself remains spective and uncertain regarding the facts, so it can only ever be "discussion," not a definitive conclusion.


    As for Xu Shuo, the covert center of this discussion, he wouldn''t jump out at this time and reveal that he is the character of Doctor Chen Chu.


    That would simply be asking for trouble.


    Besides, if Luo Kun had really Awakened as the yers had discussed, then he seemed likely to join the Script Space and woulde into contact with these things...


    Xu Shuo decided to keep the identity of Chen Chu to himself!


    After all, once a script is discontinued, the ''Performed Scripts'' column for yers would not be disclosed, and no one would know he had participated in "The Fifth Hospital." He was just a newbie who knew nothing.

 Chapter 60: Chapter 57: Dancer in the Dark

    The night was silent to the extreme, with only the asional sound of water dropletsing from somewhere.


    Xu Xi reviewed until around 10:30 pm, then went out to take a bath to prepare for sleep. When she returned to her room, however, she gave the room door across from hers a peculiar look.


    Going to sleep so early today?


    But why does it feel like they haven''t slept yet?


    Is it because of the heavy workload recently?


    Xu Xi turned back to her own room, lying in bed without feeling sleepy at all. She stared nkly at the ceiling for a while, then decided that overthinking was useless, so she collected her thoughts and closed her eyes.


    After this year''s college entrance exams, things should be much easier, and then she''ll have time to get a part-time job.


    ¡­


    On the other hand, Xu Shuo browsed forums until midnight.


    He was quite interested in their debate about Patient Six and Chen Chu''s issues, then went out to look at other posts for information. When he finally felt too tired to continue, he checked the time...


    Damn forum, messing with my rest!


    Xu Shuo quickly exited the app, covered himself with the nket, and turned over to sleep.


    ¡­


    The next day, Xu Shuo got up early, energetically prepared two servings of breakfast, and also got ready the ingredients for lunch.


    Xu Xi got up around nine and was somewhat surprised to see him bustling about in the kitchen.


    "Eat breakfast first, and the lunch is here too. I''ll drop you off at schoolter," Xu Shuo said while putting the prepared ribs into a pressure cooker to stew. If he started cooking now, it would be perfect by lunchtime.


    After that, he stir-fried a simple dish and put it in the microwave to keep warm, ready to be heated up and eaten at noon.


    Xu Xi, seeing his preparations, figured he was nning not toe back for lunch, most likely staying at the office for overtime.


    "Didn''t you say I would go to school on my own yesterday?" Xu Xi sat at the dining table, slowly eating her noodles without much emotion, and spoke indifferently.


    "Dropping you off won''t take long," Xu Shuo replied as he dried his hands and went to his room to change clothes, hurriedly getting ready for work.


    With a soft click at the entrance, the small rental apartment fell quiet once again.


    Xu Xi looked at the empty room and let out a barely perceptible sigh.


    ¡­


    The morning work wasn''t actually that tiring; it mainly involved building the game framework with everyone at the studio and also notifying relevant departments in advance, to ensure that everything wouldn''t be held up at theunching stage afterpletion of the work.


    As the team leader, Xu Shuo seemed to only need to give orders, not having much to do, but in fact, he had a little bit of everything to manage.


    Busy and unaware of time, it wasn''t until Li Ziwen had ordered fast food for everyone that he realized it was already twelve-thirty in the afternoon.


    After checking the time, Xu Shuo paused. He opened the yer''s Handbook and discovered that the countdown had already ended, but the system hadn''t automatically pulled him into the game immediately.


    [Rest period over, click to start the game.]


    Whoa, changed from passive to active?


    What if I never start?


    Excited by this spection, Xu Shuo closed the yer''s Handbook and continued working while eating his packed lunch.


    After finishing lunch, the afternoon work began. Xu Shuo and Pei Sheng went to the business street to supervise the construction of the shop. Afterwards, checking the time, he had to go pick up Xu Xi for school.


    Three in the afternoon.


    Xu Xi had already packed her things, which were actually not much: just some change of clothes and textbooks for revision, all fitting into one backpack.


    "Don''t you want to bring something back with you?" Seeing her simple baggage, Xu Shuo asked, "Do you want me to buy you a box of milk?"


    "No need," Xu Xi said expressionlessly.


    "If you''re busy with studies, you could stock up on some bread for when you''re hungry."


    "No need," Xu Xi cut in calmly, "If we''re anyter, there will be more traffic."


    Yangcheng, being a first-tier city, was always crowded with people and vehicles, especially duringmuting times.


    However, the high school affiliated with Normal University was in the Eastern Suburbs of another district. Xu Shuo, driving on the city freeway, found that since it was neither rush hour for office-going nor for going home, there was no traffic jam.


    On the straight highway, only a white sedan maintained a steady pace.


    However, just as Xu Shuo was carefully watching the road, suddenly everything went ck before his eyes!


    The next moment, Xu Xi, sitting in the passenger seat, abruptly turned her head to look at him, her eyes slightly widened, and she quickly reached out to grab the steering wheel, guiding the car gradually to the right side of the road.


    Fortunately, there weren''t many cars on the road at the moment.


    Xu Xi looked at the young man who had suddenly closed his eyes, her expression growing progressively colder.


    ...


    ...


    [You have entered the theater.]


    [The Scripted Murder Game "Dancer in the Dark" is about to begin, please prepare yourselves, yers.]


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes to a field of darkness, but within that darkness, there seemed to be something strange floating about, slightly twisted and foggy.


    He tried to move a little, but felt that his body was somewhat strange.


    In the darkness, a huge mirror mounted on the wall reflected a distorted figure, which slowly straightened its upper body and lifted its head with an odd twist.


    It raised its bent arm and touched its own neck, then with a "click" sound,


    Twisted the neck back into ce.


    Xu Shuo stared at the ceiling, his pupils dting into pitch darkness.


    He heard the system''s prompt just now, and in that instant, remembered that he seemed to have watched a video of this Scripted Murder Game before and thought, couldn''t he just coast to victory?


    But now, no matter how hard he tried to recall the plot, he couldn''t remember any details.


    "So that''s how it is, no wonder..."


    Xu Shuo spoke to himself, stopping mid-sentence because he found the sound of his voice to be truly strange.


    Hoarse, gloomy, as if his throat had been shed, the voice became jerky and sharp, akin to the wail of a fierce ghost, sending shivers down one''s spine.


    Xu Shuo lowered his head, lifting his hand to look at it.


    A pair of pale and delicately soft hands, with some sticky substance clinging to them, indistinct in the darkness, but the scent of blood reached his nose.


    He touched his mouth again, concluding that the blood probably flowed from his own body.


    The darkness was icy and oppressive, in this utterly silent ce, not even a breath could be heard.


    Something viscous seemed to be flowing nearby, filled with a chilling malice; countless eyes seemed to open in the darkness, hiding in the sinister corners, greedily and expectantly watching the distorted figure.


    Xu Shuo quietly sensed all of this for a while; having failed to think through the plot, he remembered that he seemed to have been driving and needed to end the game quickly to get back.


    Thus, he reined in his thoughts and opened the yer''s Handbook amid the eerie atmosphere, receiving the information for this mission.


    The character''s name was "Qiuzi," a ballet dancer about to participate in apetition, but today, while practicing in the studio, someone twisted her neck.


    Dead.


    [Mission: Find the murderer who killed Qiuzi.]


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    No wonder he felt his body was so strange¡ªhis character... was actually a dead person??


    What kind of terrifying script was this?!


    Would he really not scare everyone to death if he ran outside?


    At that moment, the rigid and creepy sensation of his body gradually dissipated and he regained some sensation.


    Xu Shuo tentatively stood up, staggering a bit before finding his bnce. Then, step by step, he slowly walked toward the giant, reflective ss in the darkness.


    The eerie glow cast a reflection of a narrowing figure, petite and thin, dressed in a dark red ballet skirt, her slender legs possessing an elegant curve, giving the illusion that everything below the waist was legs.


    The girl wasn''t tall, but she had a nice figure.


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    Not only was he dead, but he was also a woman.

 Chapter 61: Chapter 58 She is Already Dead

    Given his previous experience of identallynding in the wrong character''s body, Xu Shuo wasn''t quite sure whether his transformation into the deceased was part of the script or if he had made a mistake again?


    As he got a clear view of his own body in that instant, the dance studio, eerily quiet and sticky, suddenly felt as if it had returned to reality.


    The ss windows on the left let in a faint light, illuminating the dim dance studio; outside, neon lights flickered, light rain drizzled, and raindrops pattered against the window, leaving streaks of moisture.


    Xu Shuo loosened his neck and walked over to the window to look outside.


    The dance studio was in a high-rise building, with rows of windows on one side and huge floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the other, reflecting the petite silhouette of the girl.


    There was a clock on the wall, and it was now nine o''clock in the evening.


    Howe she was still practicing alone in the dance studio sote?


    Xu Shuo withdrew his gaze from the window and casually drew the white curtains closed, then looked around therge dance studio in the darkness.


    There was a rest area in the corner, presumably where the dancers changed clothes. Xu Shuo went over and turned on the light, instantly brightening the interior, revealing several rows of benches for resting and a set of lockers.


    Inside the rest area, there was also a restroom.


    Xu Shuo went in to wash the blood off of himself, then took a rag to wipe the bloodstains on the dance studio floor. Only after erasing the traces of his own death did he carefully examine the body.


    Apart from the absence of a heartbeat and the cold, paleplexion of the skin, at first nce, one wouldn''t think it was a dead person.


    Xu Shuo breathed onto the mirror, and a warm foggy patch appeared.


    He could still breathe.


    So why had this bodye back to life?


    Was it because a yer had entered, or was it due to some other strange urrence here?


    Xu Shuo stared into the mirror, lost in thought, as the girl''s features bore a seven-tenths resemnce to his own, like a gender-swapped version of himself, or one might even say¡ªXu Xi.


    There seemed to be nothing wrong with looking like one''s biological sister if it involved a gender swap, it was just a bit weird to be in a girl''s body.


    Xu Shuo graciously twirled in front of the mirror; his body felt unusually light, and as he spun, he naturally rose up onto his toes as if it were an instinct.


    The girl wore pointe shoes, different from regr dance shoes, having a small, t front that could be stood upon.


    This was Xu Shuo''s first encounter with such footwear, but it did not feel unfamiliar to him.


    He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed...


    He stopped twirling and went back to the rest area to continue looking for clues. The lockers had the names of their users on them and keys inserted in the locks.


    However, inside the girl''s locker, apart from the clothes that had been changed out, there was nothing else; it was spotlessly clean and tidy, with some pretty cartoon stickers on the inside of the locker door.


    She seemed like a lively girl, didn''t she?


    Having looked at her reflection in the mirror earlier, Xu Shuo estimated she was only about sixteen years old, the prime of her youth.


    What a pity to have died so inexplicably here.


    Xu Shuo touched the dark red dance outfit, sticky due to the blood that had seeped into the cor''s edge. Wanting to change out of the figure-hugging suit, he wasn''t sure how to go about it...


    After pondering a bit, he decided to brave his difort, so he lifted the fluffy skirt, preparing to take off his clothes.


    Ah, what? This outfit is attached at the bottom?


    The bodysuit-style dance outfit fitted closely, and the bottom half was a very short white tutu. Xu Shuo had thought the outfit was two pieces, but to his surprise, it was a one-piece!


    No wonder he felt a bit tight down there...


    How was he supposed to take it off?


    Should I start with the shoulders?


    ...


    In the silent and dimly lit dance studio, only the incandescent light from the rest area brought a corner of brightness.


    Just as the girl was struggling with changing clothes inside, suddenly, amotion came from outside the dance studio, and the door was violently kicked open!


    Bang!


    As soon as the messy steps started, Xu Shuo looked up, and then, with a loud crash, the dance studio''s door was mmed against the wall, and a nimble figure quickly rushed in, instinctively looking towards the brightly lit area in the darkness.


    Xu Shuo sat on the resting chair, half-facing the door, and was caught off guard to meet the eyes of the person who came in, who stared back, dumbfounded.


    Suddenly, silence fell within the room, with an awkwardness permeating the air.


    Xu Shuo silently covered herself with the clothes she had only half put on.


    "Officer Zhang, what''s the situation inside¡ª"


    The mor came in from outside, and as a few people attempted to burst into the studio as well, the woman who entered first quickly realized and turned around, spreading her hands to block the doorway.


    "Wait!" the female officer, her face flushed with embarrassment yet still serious, said, "Don''te in, wait outside!"


    Although the people blocked outside were surprised and puzzled, they still obeyed their superior''s instruction and also prevented the security guard trying to peek inside.


    Officer Zhang closed the door of the dance studio and then fumbled for the wall switch to turn on the lights. Suddenly, the entire studio lit up, and therge mirrors on both sides clearly reflected the figures of the two people.


    The woman first surveyed the empty dance studio, and finding nothing strange, she turned her gaze to the girl who had already dressed.


    "Is it only you here?" She stared intently at the girl, asking with a peculiar look in her eyes.


    "Yes." Xu Shuo nodded, her face a picture of innocence and curiosity, and in a fine voice, she asked, "What happened?"


    "We received a report that someone said this ce..."


    As she spoke, Officer Zhang nced at the floor beneath the girl''s feet and continued, "There''s been a murder."


    The incandescent light reflected on the floor cast a clear shadow of the delicate girl who looked at Officer Zhang with visible surprise in her expression.


    Xu Shuo wondered aloud, "Could it be a misunderstanding? It''s only me here."


    "What''s your name?" Officer Zhang walked up to her and asked.


    "Qiuzi." Xu Shuo replied obediently.


    At this moment, noisy voices rose again from outside the dance studio, and the security guard, nudged by a couple of cops, opened the door to peek inside, shouting, "Officer Zhang, what happened in there, is Qiuzi okay?"


    At the same time, the other officers also quietly looked in out of curiosity.


    Hearing the sound, Officer Zhang nced at the neatly dressed girl in front of her and said irritably, "Alright,e in."


    Instantly, several police officers and the security guard squeezed in all at once.


    The middle-aged security guard, upon seeing the unharmed girl standing there, breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "See, nothing happened. I told you, usually around this time, only Qiuzi is here practicing dance. I didn''t see anyone else enter at the door; who made the call?"


    This building is amercial one, rented out to various studios, and there is a security guard seated at the elevator entrance on each floor.


    And nearly all of the sixth floor is a dance studio; at this time every night, the girl is the only one diligently practicing, and the security guards are already familiar with her.


    Upon hearing the rm, Xu Shuo nced at the window without a trace, but she lowered her head without speaking.


    Apart from the killer, someone else knew she was already dead.

 Chapter 62: Chapter 59 Black Dog

    The female officer looked over with an odd expression in her eyes, as if she couldn''t believe she was still alive.


    But Xu Shuo didn''t think the killer was her.


    If it were her, the first reaction upon seeing Qiuzi shouldn''t have been to space out, but rather shock, and after zoning out for a while, she even realized the girl was changing clothes.


    Now ying the role of an innocent who knew nothing, Xu Shuo curiously asked, "Did someone report a murder here? How did they find out?"


    Officer Zhang, who was closely examining the girl, snapped back to reality, furrowed his brows, and said, "The caller used a public phone to report the crime, so we can''t track a mobile number. I''ll go backter and check the street surveince cameras. But you¡ª"


    His words trailing off, Officer Zhang pointed at the girl''s neck and asked, "What happened here?"


    Xu Shuo touched his own neck upon hearing this.


    Qiuzi had died from a twisted neck, and even though the marks were faint now, they were still somewhat noticeable against the pale skin.


    But he calmly said, "The dance costume is tight, it just squeezed a bit when I was changing clothes."


    Officer Zhang nodded, walked into the resting room as if inspecting the ce, and after failing to notice anything amiss, finally said, "Maybe someone is ying a sick joke, you''re fine which is good. Is it usually just you here by yourself?"


    "Yes, the timeline is pretty tight recently, so Ie back to practice at night, and it''s usually just me." Xu Shuo lowered his brows and said, "At this time, I was nning to go back anyway."


    "Since I''m here and it''ste, I might as well give you a ride home," Officer Zhang said, checking the time.


    "Okay, just give me a moment."


    Xu Shuo didn''t refuse, he stuffed his dance practice clothes into his backpack, took out his phone from the locker, and also picked up the water bottle he had left by the dance studio wall.


    Meanwhile, the security guard keptining to the police about whoever was ying this scary prank.


    The dance troupe seemed to be preparing for a performance recently, as the girl had beening here to practice every night at seven for over a month with no incidents.


    Officer Zhang stood quietly to the side, watching every move of the girl, and only after she had packed up did he follow her out of the dance studio.


    As the lights were turned off and the door locked, the vast dance studio once again fell into deathly silence, where in the darkness it looked as if something viscous was slowly flowing.


    ...


    The yer''s Handbook contained basic information about the character; this time it wasn''t ascking, at least it listed Qiuzi''s address.


    The light rain trickled down on the ground, neon lights twinkling on the streets, but the old and shabby district was deste without a spark of life, shining without any ambiance.


    Officer Zhang drove the car, asionally ncing at the girl seated in the passenger seat.


    Perhaps due to her dancing, the girl''s slender frame looked frail, her skin so pale as to appear somewhat ill, and the twisted mark on her neck had faded considerably.


    Resting her chin on her hand, she faced the window as if watching the rain, her whole demeanor calm and indifferent.


    Suddenly, the girl turned her head and looked at her with a puzzled expression.


    Had she been too direct?


    Officer Zhang quickly averted her gaze, feeling somewhat embarrassed, then said, "Do you practice thiste every day before going home? Why don''t you find someone to apany you?"


    Xu Shuo smiled, "The others have their own schedules, and I''m worried I might make a mistake, so I just have to practice more."


    "What performance are you preparing for?" Officer Zhang inquired.


    "..." Xu Shuo paused for a moment, then said apologetically, "I haven''t been selected yet. The teacher said we still need topete internally to decide on the lead role."


    "That''s quite strict."


    Officer Zhangughed teasingly and scrutinized the girl, and then, as if curiously, she asked, "How many of you arepeting?"


    "..."


    Asking such detailed questions about minor things, could this fellow actually be a yer?


    Xu Shuo slightly narrowed his eyes, about to say something when suddenly the car shook, he lurched forward, then got pulled back by the seat belt.


    Officer Zhang had mmed on the emergency brake.


    Due to the rain, the police car wasn''t going fast, but as they passed a side road, a dark figure suddenly dashed out from the right side, so fast that Officer Zhang didn''t even have time to react.


    She stopped the police car, and with a serious expression, she looked outside while unbuckling her seatbelt and said, "Stay in the car, don''te out."


    "Okay," Xu Shuo obediently nodded, but when he tried to lower the window to see what was happening, he found the windows were locked.


    The light rain pitter-pattered against the car windows, blurring the view, and the streetlights in the old town area were not very bright, not to mention they had now entered the bnes of the urban vige.


    There wasn''t a soul on the street, in the quiet ck night, it seemed like the only sound was the muffled rain.


    Through the front windscreen, Xu Shuo could see Officer Zhang get out of the car and crouch down, as if she had hit something. After a while, she stood up again, her expression obscured by the murky rain.


    Officer Zhang turned around and walked back to the driver''s side, opened the door, and sat down with a dampness about her, restarting the car.


    Xu Shuo curiously asked, "What happened?"


    "I saw it wrong, it was just a ck trash bag that the wind blew over," Officer Zhang said calmly, and after starting the police car, they hit the road again.


    "I see."


    Xu Shuo did not ask further, he tilted his head slightly to nce outside the window, but all he could see was darkness, with the colors of the neon signs shining brightly above like the spreading aurora.


    The police car pulled into the urban vige and stopped in front of an old building¡ªQiuzi''s residence.


    This time, Officer Zhang did not suggest going up with him; instead, she hurriedly instructed Xu Shuo to send her a message when he got home before driving off in a hurry.


    Xu Shuo stood at the bottom of the building watching the police car leave, then raised his hand to touch his neck.


    ...


    In the light drizzling rain, the police car once again arrived at the side road where the incident had urred.


    Officer Zhang got out to check, but the ck dog that had been hit by the police car was no longer lying on the ground, the rain washing away the bloodstains into the sewer.


    Looking at the dark and quiet side road beside her, Officer Zhang frowned with a serious expression on her face, clearly not intending to investigate alone.


    As everyone knows, lone figures in horror movies always end up ''getting the lunchbox.''


    After taking a few pictures of the location and informing her superiors of the situation, she drove away directly.


    On the way back, Officer Zhang was on edge, vigntly watching her surroundings until she reached the station, where she could finally rx a bit. She quickly got out of the car and headed straight for the chief''s office.


    "I got your message," the chief said as soon as she entered, seated behind his desk.


    "Whew, I was worried all the way that I might be targeted," Officer Zhang sighed in relief and copsed on the couch, pouring herself a ss of water and gulping it down.


    So, she thought to inform others in advance, at least if something really happened, there would be traces to follow.


    The chief was working on files regarding missing persons. Lately, there had been many incidents of young girls disappearing in the city, along with other strange murder cases, causing widespread fear among the public.


    And there was amon thread to those missing locations: dead ck dogs, and a phrase:


    "The darkness within is like a ck dog, seizing any chance to bite and hold on to me, no one can escape."

 Chapter 63: Chapter 60: Sin

    This was what Churchill had said, originally referring to those who were tormented by depression, but also a reflection of other phenomena in the human soul.


    The city seemed to be enveloped in darkness, and this darkness came from within people.


    Xu Shuo arrived on the third floor, where Qiuzi lived; the stairwell reeked of decay, especially pungent on rainy days.


    He took out a key from his backpack; it took several attempts to turn the rusty key in the lock before the old iron door creaked open. The room was dim and damp, and asionally the sound of dripping water woulde from the bathroom.


    Not a great ce to live, really.


    Xu Shuo turned on the dim lights to reveal a small one-bedroom apartment. The table was covered with leftover food from lunch, the fats not yet solidified due to the heat of summer, creating a rather strange odor in the tightly shut room.


    However, it was a room that looked run-down but was rtively clean and tidy.


    He closed the door, walked over, and opened the window of the living room for venttion. The drizzle outside instantly filled the room, and a cool breeze made the curtains gently sway.


    Xu Shuo dutifully washed the dishes. The kitchen and bathroom were crammed together in a very tight space. The faucet in the bathroom couldn''t be fully turned off, dripping water into a bucket from time to time, its sound clearly audible in the quiet house.


    Afterward, he continued to explore the modest rental apartment, looking for something that might trigger the Character Card.


    After all, acquiring a Character Card would directly unlock all the character''s life memories, which would make it more convenient to explore the script andplete tasks.


    Apart from the necessities, Qiuzi had very few personal items.


    There were several contacts in her phone that she frequentlymunicated with, and a few chat histories on social media, but they were ordinary conversations about "dance practice" and "rest." Xu Shuo briefly took note of them after flipping through.


    The room featured arge bed and a simple wardrobe, thetter filled with various ballet costumes and normal women''s clothing, with no secretpartments for hiding things.


    The dressing table was covered with make-up products he couldn''t recognize.


    Suddenly, Xu Shuo saw an upside-down wooden frame on top of the dressing table.


    Righting the frame, he found a photo of two girls who seemed to share a close rtionship, smiling brightly as they sat cross-legged in their dance attire in a dance studio.


    A potentially useful clue discovered.


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow, took out Qiuzi''s phone to check the photo gallery, and among the pile of selfies, found the girl from the picture.


    Besides Qiuzi and this girl, there were three other individuals who also appeared frequently on camera; however, it was clear that this girl, who had specially printed the photo, had a closer rtionship with the character.


    And their background was always the dance studio.


    Could this be the ssic three-choice pattern?


    Qiuzi was about to participate in apetition, closely rted to ballet, which exined why she had been practicing sote every day.


    Yet tonight, she had been murdered.


    Could it be out of jealousy?


    Xu Shuo ran his fingers along the edge of the frame, sitting in the dimly lit room and pondering. Outside, the rain was subsiding, but the sound of water dripping from the bathroom tap seemed to grow louder.


    It was as if something had appeared, darkening and thickening the room, the dripping sounds bing increasingly harsh.


    Xu Shuo turned his neck slightly, his pitch-ck eyes narrowing to a sharper gaze. The dim light overhead cast reflections on the pale and delicate skin of the girl, revealing a lustrous sheen.


    His body suddenly became stiff, and the movement of his fingertips made a clicking sound¡ªa sign that this body was not the same as before.


    Xu Shuo had almost forgotten that he was now a dead person.


    Speaking of which, won''t this body show signs of rigor mortis over time? Will it develop mottling? It won''t, right?


    In this stiffened state, the thick feeling in the darkness became acutely clear. The ticking sound from afar seemed to drift over like an ethereal melody.


    Xu Shuo felt as if some strange entity had attached itself to his back, sending a cold shiver of a touch that swept over him, and although breathing was no longer necessary, he was still struck by an overwhelming sensation of suffocation and oppression.


    But in the next moment, his rigid body gradually rxed.


    The darkness, like the sea, ebbed and flowed; the pressing sensation of suffocation quickly receded, and the pitter-patter of rain could once again be heard outside the window.


    His body regained normal control.


    Xu Shuo raised his hand and touched his own soft neck.


    What was that thing just now?


    If it was the thing that had resurrected Qiuzi, then it seemed his time was running out¡ªthe entity was iming something.


    Xu Shuo got up and walked to the vanity, looking at his reflection in the mirror.


    The girl still had a pallidplexion, frail and delicate as if she had just been through a severe illness, withrge eyes whose ck, lifeless pupils seemed to swirl with something sinister, almost eerily dark.


    Xu Shuo blinked his eyes, to no avail, so he curved his eyebrows into crescents and cracked a brilliant smile.


    It was even more eerie.


    He couldn''t help but roll his eyes and flopped backwards onto the bed, then rolled over with the nket.


    The policewoman today seemed to already be suspicious of his abnormal behavior, and he didn''t know what the context of this world was; if there really were some strange entities that could be detected...


    After a brief internal wail, Xu Shuo sat back down at the vanity and stared at the makeup products in deep contemtion.


    He should be able to learn to apply makeup in one night!


    ...


    The city had plunged into darkness and silence.


    The blinking neon lights gradually faded, leaving only the faintmplight swaying in the wind and rain on the streets; the downpour intensified, loudly sshing onto the ground, running along the edges of the streets and into the drains.


    Dark rats rummaged beside the trash cans, and like startled birds, they dashed into an alley at the ssh of rainwater.


    A figure draped in a trench coat walked through the night, ncing around with fright and fear, his steps hurried as he trudged through the waterlogged ground until the building tall as a tower loomed before him, only then did he show relief.


    The man rushed toward the structure as if something terrifying were chasing him and arrived at the tightly closed doors, pounding on them vigorously.


    "Is anyone there? Is anyone there?"


    He dared not shout loudly but could only call out in a hushed, hoarse voice, trembling with urgency.


    After a short while, the heavy doors were pushed open by his effort; the man, overjoyed, quickly slipped inside.


    In therge and spacious church, a giant crucifix mounted on the wall shone brightly, while the colored stained-ss windows on either side refracted neon light, casting an ethereal and misty pattern on the floor.


    Above the prayer stand, there was a figure with his back to the door, seemingly praying to the crucifix.


    "Father! Save me!"


    The man cried out as he rushed forward, kneeling on the ground in panic.


    Hearing the noise, the person above turned around, his weathered face solemn yet notcking in kindness.


    But as he looked at the man kneeling below, startled and frightened, soul unguarded, thepassionate priest''s mouth slowly curved into a smile, as if he had been waiting for him for a long time.


    "Confess your sins, the Lord will forgive you."

 Chapter 64: Chapter 61: Classic Triple Choice

    The next morning, a light rain continued to fall.


    The sky remained gloomy, with dark clouds amassed above the city, raining down droplets densely, though the downpour was not as heavy as the previous night.


    After a night of heavy rain, the streets were flooded, and the area beneath the buildings in the urban vige had turned into a swift stream.


    Xu Shuo had watched videos all night, and by morning, he had finally managed to apply makeup that looked passable, making hisplexion appear much healthier.


    Then, he picked out a ck long-sleeved dance outfit for himself,plete with white thigh-high socks and a white tulle skirt puffed up at the bottom. The color scheme should also help conceal any abnormalities in his body.


    He hoped that today, he would be able to sessfully choose one of the three people.


    After getting ready, Xu Shuo stood downstairs in a white long dress and ck leather shoes, staring into the stream in front of him, lost in thought.


    If the drainage system of the old urban area was problematic, it couldn''t even handle a night''s rain, let alone in such a dirty and disordered urban vige, where chewed up vegetable leaves mixed with unidentifiable things, stained the water in front of the building with a weird color.


    Xu Shuo looked at the range of the water flow, calcted the distance, and prepared to jump over when suddenly, a shout came from ahead¡ª


    "Miss Qiuzi!"


    Xu Shuo, who was about to leap, staggered and steadied himself.


    He looked up to see a small sedan car slowly backing up through the crowded street, finallying to a stop in front of him.


    Officer Zhang looked at him with a beaming smile and said, "Why didn''t you message me yesterday, eh? Didn''t you say you would let me know once you got home?"


    Xu Shuo was startled, then sheepishly said, "Sorry, I forgot. I was too tired when I got back and went to sleep first."


    After returning, he had been busy gathering intelligence. Who would think about her?


    Moreover, the officer seemed busy with something yesterday too. After they exchanged contact information, she left in a hurry, and she didn''t messageter that night to ask anything.


    It was clear that they had simply forgotten each other!


    "Never mind, I forgive you~" Officer Zhang sized him up, then continued, "Are you preparing to go to the dance studio? It just so happens I have work to do there for an investigation today. Let me give you a lift."


    Xu Shuo gave her a silent nce. Whether or not the police station was on the way here, it seemed that this person was probably keeping an eye on him.


    Then, a coy smile appeared on his face, "You are too kind."


    After all, he wasn''t one to pass up a free ride.


    Officer Zhang was not in uniform today, and even her car was a private sedan, but Xu Shuo did not ask a word about her so-called work and investigation.


    The car''s seats and interior were quite old and worn, suggesting it was an aged vehicle. The sky was dreary, raining steadily; the wipers worked intermittently, with a squeaking noise that was somewhat annoying.


    The car did not speed, and as they passed the alley fromst night, both Xu Shuo and Officer Zhang nced over at it involuntarily.


    The alley also led to the urban vige; its narrow path was clear at a nce. Just then, someone emerged, having juste downstairs.


    In the daytime, the alley did not seem so terrifying.


    What the female officer encountered there yesterday remained a mystery.


    Shortly, the building housing the dance studio arrived. After Xu Shuo got out, Officer Zhang drove off, apparently having actual business nearby.


    Xu Shuo went up to the sixth floor, greeted the security guard at the door, and then proceeded towards the dance studio.


    The entire floor was silent, the lights in the corridor somewhat pale. There weren''t many people in the other dance studios; it was as quiet as a forgotten ce.


    But as he arrived at the door of the dance studio he had been inst night, he heard faint sounds from inside, like the dull thuds of footsteps tapping on the floor.


    Xu Shuo pushed the door open to see a tall figure dancing in front of a mirror, up on tiptoe, with a sway in her movements that was bold and unrestrained.


    He silently nced once over the dancer and headed to the rest area, sticking close to the wall.


    "Qiuzi?" At that moment, the dancer spoke up, not turning her head, just looking at the person in the mirror.


    The woman was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a rigid and serious expression. ncing at the petite figure in the mirror, she spoke faintly, "You don''t seem to be in good spirits?"


    Xu Shuo turned to look at her. This woman had also appeared in Qiuzi''s photo album, one of the three people, seemingly an elder, with several girls looking quite respectful toward her.


    He spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse, "It rained on my way homest night; I caught a little cold."


    The woman turned around, slowly finishing herst pose, and looked at him emotionlessly, saying, "Thepetition among you will start soon. Falling sick at this time isn''t good."


    "I''m sorry." Xu Shuo lowered his head.


    As his eyelids lowered, he noticed the shadow approaching. The woman silently walked up to him, reaching out to lift the girl''s chin.


    The woman''s face still showed little emotion and seemed quite harsh as she said faintly, "You are my most satisfying student, and I actually hope you will be the one to perform in the end, so don''t disappoint me."


    A student? Was she Qiuzi''s dance teacher?


    Xu Shuo recalled the phone book in his cell phone, finding the only name with a title, and ventured, "I understand, Teacher Changying, I won''t disappoint you."


    The woman smiled satisfactorily, released him, and said, "Hurry and change your clothes."


    Xu Shuo obediently nodded, turning to enter the changing room. The moment he turned his back, the smiles on both their faces faded slightly, both gazes growing profound.


    ¡ª¡ªCould it be a yer?


    In such games, the real trouble is not the NPCs hiding various stories for you to figure out, but the yers who might oppose you.


    After all, the missions can create opposing situations.


    Just like detectives and murderers, one side seeks the truth while the other hides, one must fail.


    ...


    Inside the restroom, Xu Shuo changed out of his street clothes, looking at his overly pale and cold skin, he pondered the dance teacher''s reaction just now; it seemed she didn''t know "she" had died.


    One out of three, it''s possible to eliminate one for now, unless the other party''s acting was so superb there was no sign.


    Nheless, Xu Shuo still felt it was most likely to be one of thepetitors.


    After all, Qiuzi seemed to be the teacher''s favorite.


    Xu Shuo put on the tight dance costume, Qiuzi''s delicate yet strong body outlined in the mirror. Qiuzi had a great physique, and certainly would look elegant dancing.


    But now there was an essential problem.


    He couldn''t do ballet!


    How on earth was a full-grown man supposed to cross-dress as a girl who can dance? Who came up with this crappy script?!


    Xu Shuo, cursing under his breath, tied up his hair into a bun, thinking about how he might muddle throughter. Although he couldn''t dance ballet, this body''s instincts were still somewhat there.


    Maybe just pretend to be in poor condition and twist an ankle?


    As he thought this, a ttering noise suddenly came from the changing room, followed by the voices of two girls.


    "Is someone in the toilet?"


    "Is it Qiuzi? She alwayses the earliest!"


    "How...how could it be..."


    In the restroom, Xu Shuo''s gaze suddenly sharpened, his lips curling into a strange smile.

 Chapter 65: Chapter 62 This game cant be that simple, right?

    This team currently has only about four people.


    The dance teacher Changying, along with Qiuzi and two other students, were rehearsing for an uing mysterious performance in thisrge dance studio.


    And the performance required a lead role to be chosen.


    Qiuzi was the favored and most valued student by the teacher, but she, the most likely candidate for the lead role, died in the dance studiost night.


    Xu Shuo opened the door to the restroom and looked at the two girls talking in the lounge, and at that moment, a system notification sound came through.


    [Congrattions to the yer for triggering the character mission: Qiuzi.]


    It seemed like somewhat useful yet somewhat useless information had increased.


    The conditions for triggering the previous two times were items, such as the mysterious box hidden under Zhang Shou''s bed, and Chen Chu''s spiritual medicine, but who would have thought that this time, it would be a person?


    No wonder he could not unlock it even after searching the entire housest night.


    In an instant, the memories of the girl flooded into his brain as if by a revolvingntern before his eyes, but his mind did not waver.


    It was much better than the first time he received Zhang Shou''s memories. Perhaps the Psychic Powe points he added before were effective¡ªas for Chen Chu''s memories, he received them in his sleep.


    Xu Shuo collected his thoughts and sized up the two girls in front of him without betraying any emotion.


    One girl looked mildly surprised, while the other''s surprise was mixed with a hint of fear, and even her body began to tremble slightly.


    These two girls were Xuena and Lanruo, both students under teacher Changying, and the three of them studied ballet here together.


    Lanruo and Qiuzi were even closer, having been good friends since childhood.


    Although he had prepared to solve the case by choosing one out of three, he hadn''t expected to gain a lead so soon. It seems like mature victims nowadays are the ones who find their own killers.


    Thus, Xu Shuo raised the corners of his mouth and revealed a very gentle smile, speaking softly, "You''ve arrived~"


    Xuena quickly reacted and stepped forward with concern, asking, "Qiuzi, you don''t seem to be in good spirits. Are you sick?"


    It seemed her surprise was just about his condition.


    Xu Shuo couldn''t help touching his face. He had carefully applied makeup before leaving the house, yet everyone who saw him still said he looked unwell. It was really discouraging.


    He lifted his head, his dark and deep eyes nced at the girl who came over with concern, and then shifted to look at the obviously guilty one.


    Lanruo quickly adjusted her own state as well, ufortably avoiding eye contact, and said, "Qiuzi, you also arrived so early today, howe..."


    Xu Shuo cocked his head and gazed at her with wide eyes, "What''s wrong?"


    The girl''s body trembled nervously, stammering without knowing what to say, when suddenly an unhappy chiding voice came from outside¡ª


    "Aren''t you changed yet? Don''t waste time!"


    Upon hearing this voice, Lanruo seemed to have found salvation. She hastily grabbed her dance outfit and rushed into the restroom, swiftly closing and locking the door behind her.


    Xuena was startled by her strange behavior, looked at the girl in front of her, and ventured to ask, "Qiuzi, did you two have a fight?"


    "No," Xu Shuo frowned slightly, innocently resembling a naive little girl, and said, "I don''t know what''s wrong with her; I''ll ask herter."


    After finishing, he casually walked out of the lounge, greeted teacher Changying, then went to the barre beside the window and started his leg stretches as usual for warm-up.


    Although in his memory, Lanruo did indeed seek out Qiuzist night and was very likely the one who acted from behind, the system did not provide a taskpletion notification. This probably meant evidence needed to be found or the truth exposed face-to-face, right?


    Actually, Xu Shuo didn''t have any rash ideas to rush in at the moment, as his current identity and body were, after all, of a dead person.


    And the people around him seemed to be not so simple either.


    If Lanruo were the murderer, then she was acting too tantly, almost guessable by her demeanor alone that she had something to hide without the need for intimidation.


    But surely, this game wouldn''t be that simple, would it?


    ...


    The girl in front of the window was stretching her legs in a very standard pose, and the white curtain reflected a vague shadow.


    Across from the dance studio.


    Officer Zhang watched calmly for a while before putting down the binocrs, then turned his piercing gaze toward another man in the room who was cowering in fear.


    This was an apartment with a decent interior, the window facing the street and just opposite the dance studio.


    There were three people in the room at that moment.


    One man was cowering in a corner, not daring to approach the window, his face full of fear; a priest emanating a holy aura, dressed in a ck and gold robe, his face solemn and serious; and Officer Zhang.


    "Peeping tom, do you know how long you could be sentenced for that?" Officer Zhang scoffed and, squatting in front of the man, threatened.


    "This... is peeping a crime punishable by prison?!" The man looked up, startled, and after reacting out of his fear, he said urgently, "I didn''t do anything, and besides... I even discovered a murder case! I can redeem my actions with this good deed!"


    Content from m-vl|em|p,yr


    "You''ve simply misunderstood; Qiuzi was not dead when I went over there yesterday," Officer Zhang said with an expressionless face.


    "She''s really dead!"


    Upon hearing this, the man became more frantic than if he had known he was being sentenced, his face flushed red and he shouted with his eyes nearly bursting, "At half past eight, I saw her being strangled to death with my own eyes! But not long after, she... she got up again, just like this... being pulled up like this..."


    The man''s eyes were bloodshot, and he grew increasingly frightened as he spoke, trembling as he raised his hands, twisting his body like a marite, his expression grotesquely contorted as he mimicked the scene.


    Officer Zhang narrowed his eyes and stepped back a little from him.


    The priest beside him took a step forward and kindly patted the man''s shoulder, smiling and saying, "Don''t be nervous, the Almighty has already forgiven you, He will grant you redemption, saving you from the demon''s revenge."


    As if soothed by the priest''s words, the man quickly stopped his eerie movements, curling back into a ball and shrinking into the corner, shivering with fear.


    Officer Zhang frowned and looked at him, before shifting his gaze back to the window, watching the dance studio across the street.


    Behind the white curtains, the delicate and weak figure had begun to dance gracefully, the gray shadow fleeting, the enchanting posture reflected on the curtain, carrying a misty sense of illusion, like an angel descending to the mortal world yet unreachable.


    No wonder this guy peeps at her every day, indeed she''s a sight for sore eyes, especially since the shadow is even clearer at night.


    It''s just not clear whether the angel now is human or ghost.


    Officer Zhang mumbled to himself for a while, then turned his head to look at the priest, and after exchanging a nce, they walked out the door together.


    "He came to my churchst night and confessed everything, and given his mental state at the time, this could very well be true," the priest said with an almost imperceptible smile, his voice gentle, "ording to him, because he witnessed a ''demon'' reaping a soul, it sought him out for revenge."


    "He only saw the shadow cast on the window, what if it was just a misunderstanding caused by miscement?" Officer Zhang said indifferently.


    But as she said this, her mind thought of the faint marks on the girl''s neck from yesterday, although light, they were strikingly obvious on her pale skin.


    The priest gave Officer Zhang a meaningful look and said, "The fact that you came to investigate means that the police are not treating this matter lightly."


    Officer Zhang met his gaze, nomittal.


    ...


    Last night, a mysterious person called the police iming that there had been a murder in the dance studio.


    But when Officer Zhang arrived at the scene, there was neither a victim nor a murderer, and the police checked the street surveince that night, only seeing a man in a ck coat running into a public phone booth.


    Because the person had wrapped up so tightly, the police were unable to figure out who the informant was.


    However, in the middle of the night, the church also made a police call, and this time, they figured out the cause and consequence without any effort.


    The peeping Tom watched the dance studio every day through binocrs from his window.


    He even watched so intently that he understood Qiuzi''s daily routine, knowing she would return to the dance studio alone at seven o''clock in the evening to practice.


    This voyeuristic behavior continued for more than half a month, untilst night.


    He saw Qiuzi finishing her dance as usual, stretching by the window, but this time, another figure was reflected in the window.


    A second person in the dance studio?


    Qiuzi appeared to have a conversation with the figure, then turned back to continue stretching, giving the killer her back¡ªa fatal opportunity.


    The peeping Tom watched in horror as the figure grabbed Qiuzi, struggled with her for a while, and then Qiuzi''s head was jerked to the side, and she fell over while the perpetrator quickly fled the scene!


    Even though he was a bold voyeur, in reality, he was also a timid and sleazy man.


    After the murder scene ended, the terrified many shaking on the ground, unable to collect himself for a long time,pletely distraught, afraid, and worried, until he saw a shadow appear again on the window.


    A twisted shadow rose from the ground...


    The lights in the dance studio dimmed, and countless ck lines entwined the shadow, pulling it up like a marite, its graceful posture contorted into something hideous.


    Suddenly, the shadow slowly turned its head.


    Facing the window¡ªit seemed to look right at him.


    The man could no longer bear it, screaming in horror, he rolled and scrambled away from the window, and finally managed to seek help from the police downstairs.


    In the intermittent time, when he looked up at the window of the dance studio again, there was nothing there.


    The dance studio, which had been well lit, was now inplete darkness, and even the shadow had disappeared into the ckness, as if what he had seen earlier was all an illusion.


    The peeping Tom hung up the phone in a daze.


    He didn''t know if he had been a thief for so long that he was seeing such illusions out of guilt, or if he had already fallen into the demon''s enchantment.


    The man returned to his apartment, cowering in a corner, shaking with fear. He dared not sleep, and he dared not turn off the light.


    But even with the bright lights on in the room, he still felt as if he was being watched by some strange entity, time slowly oozing by as if thickened to the extreme.


    Daylight had not yet arrived, and the apartment''s electric lights had somehow turned off.


    In the pitch darkness, the man woke with a start, no longer daring to stay, running frantically out of the apartment, running crazily towards the church in the rainy night, as if it were the only light in his sight.


    At this moment, only a deity could save him!

 Chapter 66: Chapter 63: Temptation

    ```


    The harsh light shone on the beige non-slip floor, making the room look somewhat pale in reflection off the two side walls.


    Lanruo had already changed into her clothes, which should have made her look more like an angel, but instead, her costume¡ªa pure white knee-length dancing dress¡ªmade herplexion seem even worse than Qiuzi''s.


    With the acquisition of memory, the instinctive grasp of the character''s body became even more thorough.


    Xu Shuopletely discarded his own sense of shame, leading the dance as usual to the prolonged music, performing the first dance in front of the dance instructor.


    The ck and white ballet dress swayed in the light, and the glittering folds refracted the light, flickering on and off like candlelight.


    The girl danced with bold and powerful gestures, her face carrying a faint smile.


    What should have been a gentle and beautiful scene instead felt eerily dark, and her deep, somber eyes made her seem like a dark elf trapped in theherworld, inexplicably giving off a strange and sinister oppression.


    The expressions on the three faces were all different, with Teacher Changying still maintaining a stern face, inscrutable.


    Xuena was much more animated, asionally showing a face full of admiration and surprise, and silently apuding.


    Standing in the corner, Lanruo stared intently at that graceful leaping figure, her palm unconsciously clenching her left wrist so tightly that it turned crimson.


    She was the leastposed of all.


    Therefore, Xu Shuo deliberately danced over to her,ughing coquettishly in a circle before her, her neck raised high as beautifully as a swan''s, pale yet exceedingly fragile.


    The fingertips clutching her wrist exerted more force, Lanruo felt the pain and suddenly woke up, lowering her head to avoid the gaze.


    Such an obvious disy¡ªif she really was the murderer, wouldn''t thatck challenge?


    Xu Shuo nced at her, finishing thest move to conclude the dance, and in a sh, the cold aura that had been faintly present vanished along with her movements.


    The dance studio''s lights shone down, casting dark shadows on the smooth, clear beige floor.


    "p, p, p, p¡ª¡ª"


    Sounds of vigorous pping came from nearby.


    Xuena wore an admiring smile, sincerelymenting, "Qiuzi, your dancing is getting better and better, just like a real swan! Did you prepare this costume especially for today?"


    Xu Shuo stood up and looked at her, smiling slightly with curved lips, "Yes."


    Although his original intention had just been to cover his body, it was only after receiving the memories that he realized, surprisingly, it matched the preparations Qiuzi had made.


    Teacher Changying''s dance team originally had dozens of students, but all but three failed to pass the subsequent selection, leaving only them topete for the lead role.


    In this performance, the ballet dancer needs to portray both the grace of the White Swan and the intensity of the ck Swan.


    However, Qiuzi, who had always been Teacher Changying''s favorite, had only ever managed to perfectly perform the White Swan, while Lanruo''s expressive power made her closer to the ck Swan.


    Both were striving to reach the other''s domain in order to win the role, thepetition fierce. That is until the day before yesterday when these two good friends finally had a quarrel and parted on bad terms.


    Qiuzi was just angry enough to knock down a picture frame, not expecting that the next day, an even angrier Lanruo would kill her.


    In the memories received by Xu Shuo, Lanruo did indeed go to the dance studiost night.


    And from her reaction, she also definitely knew that Qiuzi should be dead.


    ...


    "Twenty-four students, and only three are left, huh?"


    Officer Zhang sat in the car, listening to the information from a colleague on the phone, and thoughtfully asked, "What is the performance they are preparing for?"


    "Swan Lake," came the reply from the other end.


    ```


    Swan Lake?


    Although Officer Zhang did not understand ballet at all, he had heard of this fairy tale.


    "Where will the performance take ce?" Officer Zhang asked again.


    "There''s no information about that, only that it''s an exclusive performance for the privileged, so the girls were all working especially hard. But in the end, only three were left in thepetition."


    "Don''t the others rehearse together?"


    "ording to the information, it seems they n to have just the lead performer carry the whole show."


    Officer Zhang frowned slightly upon hearing this and then said, "Go and investigate the others'' backgrounds as well."


    The person on the other end of the line took the order and then hung up. Officer Zhang looked at the information about the girl in his hands, flipping it over and over but finding no other suspicious details. What seemed suspicious instead was the ballet troupe itself.


    At that moment, the priest sitting in the back leaned slightly forward and asked in a warm voice, "May I take a look as well?"


    Officer Zhang passed the file directly to him and then looked up at the building above. White curtains covered the windows, and all that could be seen were asional fleeting pale grey shadows.


    The sky was foggy, and the rain had been falling sincest night without a break. Even now, though it had eased up a bit, a fine drizzle continued to fall.


    The street was quiet. This was not amercial district, and only asionally would a few pedestrians wrapped in trench coats hurry by.


    "Let''s go up and take a look."


    Officer Zhang, sitting in the car, didn''t know if it was because the weather was too gloomy or the space too cramped, but he felt very restless. After speaking, he directly opened the car door and got out.


    Seeing this, the priest put down the materials and said, "You might startle the snake by hitting the grass."


    "I felt an instant connection with that young girl yesterday."


    Officer Zhang said carelessly, his voice trailing off into the misty rain, and his figure quickly disappeared into the stairwell.


    The priest''s calm gaze returned to the thick file in his hands, one portion on Qiuzi and the dance troupe''s information, the other on the missing persons case from the city a while ago.


    Because he called the policest night and detailed everything without any concealment, he had gained the trust of the police¡ªor at least Officer Zhang''s temporary trust.


    The priest knew all too well, to cooperate with the police was the wisest decision in this y.


    ¡­


    When Officer Zhang arrived outside the dance studio, the one dancing was Xuena.


    Xuena''s dancing was even more lively and mature. She could seamlessly switch her emotions and the tension in her movements, blending the elegance of the White Swan with the wildness of the ck Swan.


    Being the eldest among the three, Xuena was three years older than Qiuzi and Lanruo, tall and graceful. Originally, she was the one most likely to be the main performer.


    However, a recent ident had injured Xuena''s ankle.


    Even now that she had recovered, she had yet to return to her peak condition. Due to the lingering injury, she couldn''t perform the ck Swan''s final "Whip Turning" sequence of movements.


    Thus, Xuena was currently just a pace-setter.


    The dance studio door was ajar, and Officer Zhang stood at the entrance, peering through the gap at the girl dancing inside.


    Compared to Qiuzi''s rawness, the girl seemed to dance much better, yet there was a different feeling about her.


    For some reason, when spying on the dancing girl''s shadow from a window, even if only able to see the silhouette, an inexplicable urge would take hold of the heart, eyes unconsciously fixated on capturing that figure, greedily watching.


    But now, being present should have offered a better experience than just watching the shadow, yet Officer Zhang felt only a sense of ndness.


    Is this the beauty of the blurred?

 Chapter 67: Chapter 64 Quality

    Officer Zhang stood at the door for quite a while, silently observing the four people inside the dance studio.


    Not until the girl had finished dancing and Qiuzi pped did her gaze seem to inadvertently sweep over in their direction and then she showed surprise.


    "Zhang?" Xu Shuo called out.


    After he called out to her, the other three also unanimously looked over, and Teacher Changying frowned slightly.


    Seeing this, Officer Zhang also pushed open the door and walked in, apologizing with a smile, "Sorry, did I disturb you? I just wanted toe and see Qiuzi."


    Today, she wasn''t wearing her police uniform, her presence was quite gentle, making her appear to be just a capable older sister.


    Hearing this, Xu Shuo didn''t expose her identity and turned to Changying to say, "Teacher, this is a sister I knew previously. She probably came to find me about something..."


    Changying''s face was expressionless, her critical gaze sized up the uninvited guest from head to toe before she bluntly and coldly said, "Now is practice time. Any matters can wait until the break."


    Xu Shuo lowered his head with a look of grievance and muttered an "Oh."


    At this, Officer Zhang waved her hand and stood at the entrance of the break room, saying, "Then I''ll just watch from here, okay?"


    Teacher Changying didn''t reply, but she didn''t object either, not even sparing Zhang another nce, just maintaining the image of a stern and inflexible teacher.


    After each of the three had showcased their dance, they began their usual action practice.


    Teacher Changying was not only stern in appearance but also strict in teaching. Apart from Xuena, whose foot injury made it difficult for her to maintain some movements for long, Qiuzi and Lanruo needed to repeat actions dozens of times.


    Officer Zhang initially leaned against the door of the break room watching them, but as waiting got boring, she retreated into the break room and sat on the bench ying with her phone.


    Suddenly, her gaze fixed on the phone.


    Picking up on something, Officer Zhang instinctively looked up to the scene in the dance studio, where the girls were spinning around.


    To an outsider like her, it seemed like just an ordinary spinning movement, but in reality, the Whip Turning was extremely difficult to perform continuously for a couple of dozen rounds.


    However, the action made the girls'' iling figures, the sweat sying in the air, and their slightly hastened breaths all full of expressive power.


    Lanruo''s dance moves were sharp and bold, her white dress also giving her a reckless and fervent quality, as if she were a real ck Swan enticing the prince.


    Inparison, Qiuzi was much gentler.


    Teacher Changying''s face was stern as she red seriously at the girl and pped her hands firmly several times, continuously shoutingmands like "Keep moving!", "Open up wider!", "Didn''t you have breakfast? Put some effort into it!" as she loudly scolded.


    Qiuzi''s pale face didn''t look too good, and it was unclear whether it was because of the scolding or something else.


    After watching for a while, Officer Zhang turned her attention back to the information on her phone.


    At her request, the police had revisited records of missing persons from this period and discovered that three girls who disappeared had been students of this dance troupe.


    But they hadn''te back here after being turned down six months ago, and subsequently, they went missing, all involved in the "ck Dog" case.


    Over the past six months, more than a dozen young women had disappeared in the city. Their identities as dancers didn''t seem suspicious at first nce, but the fact that such an event had urred here the night before...


    Officer Zhang furrowed her brow in thought, looking up once more quite unexpectedly catching Teacher Changying''s gaze.


    But quickly, Teacher Changying moved her gaze away, pping her hands and saying, "All right, that''s enough practice for this morning. Take a rest. Qiuzi,e here!"


    Xuena and Lanruo stopped their actions, gasping for breath, and walked over to the barre to stretch, the former even looking at Qiuzi sympathetically.


    Today, Qiuzi''s performance was really poor.


    ```


    ...


    Changying stood with a stern face at the diagonal corner of the rest room, staring at the girl who was bowing her head in admission of her mistakes before her.


    She nced again at the rest room, then scolded, "What''s wrong with you? Weren''t you dancing well just now? Howe your practice is getting worse and worse? Is it because there''s a stranger present? How are you going to perform in front of others like this!"


    A stream of angry scolding came her way, incessantly and for quite some time.


    Xu Shuo stood very obediently, maintaining an appearance of receptiveness and finally said apologetically, "I''m sorry, Teacher, it might be because I caught a coldst night and didn''t sleep well. I just feel like I can''t exert any strength."


    Upon hearing this, Changying''s expression softened slightly. She looked the girl over and noticed her exposed skin was pale and delicate, shimmering under the incandescent light like porcin dolls that seem like they would break upon touch.


    Although it felt somewhat morbid... had the quality actually improved?


    After intently observing the girl for a while, Changying bent down, got close to her, and whispered, "Qiuzi, thepetition is in just three days. As my most proud student, you cannot afford to lose to Lanruo."


    Xu Shuo slightly raised her head, her deep and dark eyes meeting hers, lifeless yet possessing an allure like a vortex.


    She curved her lips into a smile, "Teacher, I will definitely be the lead!"


    Gazing into those eerie eyes, Changying collected herself and retracted her gaze, nodding in approval without saying anything more. She gestured for the girl to go and rest.


    ...


    "What''s wrong, did she scold you?"


    No sooner had Xu Shuo entered the rest room than Officer Zhang''s voice followed.


    She gave the inquisitive-looking female officer a resentful nce, "The teacher thinks I didn''t perform well because you were here and told me not to bring any more odd people around."


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    What was so odd about her, she was a police officer after all, wasn''t she?


    As Xu Shuo began to take down her bun, she asked, "Zhang, did youe here to see me for something?"


    Officer Zhang nced at two other girls who were approaching and said, "Nothing much, I just wanted to get to know you better after our encounter yesterday. I''ll treat you to lunch."


    If not for the fact that this police officer was a woman and Qiuzi was as well, Xu Shuo might have thought this person was trying to hit on her.


    Of course, if the other person was cross-dressing, that would be a different story.


    Thinking mischievously, Xu Shuo took out her usual clothes from the cab.


    Then, just before entering the washroom, she suddenly turned and smiled radiantly at Officer Zhang, "Sure, then wait for me, Zhang~"


    ...


    Even though the girl was very pretty, with a round face that still evoked a feeling of childlike cuteness, the smile on her pale, somewhat morbid face didn''t seem bright at all.


    It was even inexplicably creepy.


    But Officer Zhang was inexplicably dazzled by it.


    When she smiled, she indeed was very attractive.


    Just like when she was dancing earlier, even though Officer Zhang could only see vague silhouettes, it exuded a kind of devilish temptation, one that could stir the desires within a person''s heart.


    ```

 Chapter 68: Chapter 65 The Priest

    Xu Shuo changed into everyday clothes, a white long skirt that covered his legs, which made him look both innocent and fragile.


    As he opened the bathroom door toe out, Lanruo was standing at the entrance, her face stiff, with bloodshot eyes staring at her unblinkingly, her hands unconsciously gripping tighter.


    Although she was not shaking like a sieve as when they first met, her body still trembled slightly.


    This nervous appearance made Officer Zhang, standing at the door, narrow his eyes and size her up inconspicuously.


    "What''s wrong, Lanruo?" Xu Shuo spoke, his face smiling, his eyes full of innocence.


    "Qiuzi... are you feeling better?" Lanruo had summoned the courage to meet his gaze, but in less than a second, she had lowered her head in terror once again.


    Xu Shuoughed, speaking with the girl''s consistently yful tone: "Thanks for your concern, it was just a little cold, I''m much better after some exercise just now."


    Lanruo murmured, "Then remember to rest well when you get back."


    Xu Shuo acknowledged her with a sound, then stepped aside to let her in, Lanruo clutching her clothes almost bolted inside and quickly shut the door, locking it behind her.


    Behind the bathroom door, Lanruo lost her earlierposure, clutching her chest and gasping for air, her face a mask of panic and terror.


    In the cramped bathroom, under the stark fluorescent light, the mirror reflected the girl''s pale face and the cold sweat on her forehead, she was more distraught than she had thought.


    Lanruo approached the sink, turned on the faucet, and sshed her face with water several times.


    After calming down a bit, Lanruo couldn''t stop worrying. Qiuzi''s behavior today was really too strange, had she forgotten, or...


    Would she call the police?


    Could she actually be nning revenge in secret?


    No, she was supposed to have diedst night!


    But today, whether it''s her behavior, her movements, or her dancing, it''s all just like Qiuzi from before!


    It''s not someone else disguised as her, it''s really Qiuzi!


    The more Lanruo thought about it, the more terrified she became, her hands scooping up the icy tap water to ssh on her face continuously, the droplets streaming down her hair, spreading across her chin, and finally sshing onto the shadow on the floor.


    Shivering, she hugged her arms and stared at the mirror, at the girl who was half soaked, her fearful gaze gradually turning vicious.


    Maybe kill her again?


    ...


    "Zhang, do I look pretty?"


    Xu Shuo twirled in front of Officer Zhang in a little white dress, smiling ominously.


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    For some reason,pared to when they met in the morning, the girl had be a bit creepy.


    They hadn''t strayed too far from the dance studio, sitting down in a nearby restaurant. The outside was still covered in persistent rain, the sky oppressive, leaving no room for a breather.


    On the midday streets, there were more pedestrians and cars, and from their seat by the window, they could look up to see the dance studio''s window not too far away.


    Officer Zhang gentlemanly handed the menu to Xu Shuo, and as they were in the midst of ordering, a mild-mannered man wearing a ck robe with golden trim walked up, nodding at the two before conscientiously taking a seat next to them.


    Dressed like that, he was either suffering from "chuunibyou" or held a special position.


    Xu Shuo nced at the cross ne around the man''s neck, calmly withdrew his gaze, and then ordered three steaks.


    "Qiuzi, this is a friend of mine, he''s currently a priest at the church," Officer Zhang introduced once the man had sat down.


    "Nice to meet you." Xu Shuo put down the menu, raising a smile.


    Under the gloomy sky, the girl''s face was illuminated by the orange light from inside the shop, casting gray shadows on the ss, creating an eerie effect.


    The priest ced his right hand over his chest, smiled at her with the corners of his mouth, and politely nodded.


    The waiter took away the menu and set down three sses of water, the three of them seated in the window booth. The orange light seemed warm and cozy, but suddenly the atmosphere turned strange.


    Xu Shuo rested his chin on his hands, smiled mysteriously at them, and said, "Zhang, what exactly did you want to talk about by asking me here today?"


    "The person who called the policest night has been found," Officer Zhang said.


    "Oh?" Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly.


    "But he was mistaken," Officer Zhang lowered her gaze, spoke softly while drinking water, "Last night, as he passed by below, he saw two shadows in the window and thought a murder had urred, scaring him into calling the police."


    Xu Shuo chuckled gently, looked at her, but said nothing.


    Officer Zhang asked with a bit of an edge to her voice, "Qiuzi, was it really just you alone in the dance studiost night?"


    At that moment, the ever-smiling priest also looked over but not with a probing gaze. His aura was as refreshing as a spring breeze, rxing anyone around him.


    Drumming his fingers on the table as if pondering, Xu Shuo said with a troubled look, "Aboutst night, I actually don''t remember too clearly, it was veryte after practice, I was tired, and it seemed like... Lanruo came looking for me?"


    "Lanruo?"


    Officer Zhang thought of the nervous young girl she had encountered earlier in the resting room.


    Xu Shuo nodded, his face innocent, "I had an argument with her over dancing yesterday, and she seemed to havee to apologizest night. But I was practicing and didn''t pay much attention. By the time I finished, she was no longer there in the dance studio."


    His ambiguous words added ayer of weirdness to the conversation. Officer Zhang frowned slightly and was about to ask more when suddenly she heard from beside her:


    "Miss Qiuzi."


    The quiet priest suddenly spoke up, his smile gentle as he covered the girl''s hand on the table with his, asking in a soft whisper, "Did you feel unwell after that?"


    Xu Shuo was silent for a while, he stared at the man''s hand and said darkly, "Sir, I''m feeling unwell right now."


    The waiter, carrying dishes, heard thisment as he passed by and subconsciously looked down.


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    She couldn''t help but re at the priest, who had previously criticized her for jumping the gun. And now, before they even got a few words in, he was getting handsy!


    The waiter set down a steak and quickly left. The priest, his expression unchanged, withdrew his hand.


    "I am a priest, and upon seeing Miss Qiuzi, I couldn''t help but feel that you were not in a good state," the priest said with a faint smile, "I suspect that you might have been troubled by a ''Mare'' that night."


    "Just because someone thought they saw a murder?" Xu Shuo withdrew his hand to rub it, feeling very hot after the priest touched it, which had been icy cold.


    "As you said, you can''t clearly remember if someone was there."


    "You godmen always like to lead everything back to the supernatural."


    "Miss Qiuzi, this is a holy profession."


    "Officer Zhang, you didn''t ask to see me today just aboutst night''s incident, right?" Xu Shuo ignored him, suddenly turning his head towards the policewoman.


    "Miss Qiuzi, you should also¡ª"


    "Let''s eat lunch first."


    Before the priest could interject again, Xu Shuo darkly pushed the medium-rare steak towards him. His dead, dark eyes radiated a spooky vibe as he said with a gentle smile, "Don''t waste it."


    Priest: "..."


    In his position, he did not eat food with blood.

 Chapter 69: Chapter 66: The Style Is Off

    The atmosphere suddenly froze.


    Seeing this, Officer Zhang who was beside, guessed that the young girl was probably just throwing a tantrum, so she had no choice but to act as a peacemaker and said helplessly, "Qiuzi, he''s a member of the clergy; he can''t eat this kind of food."


    "Eh? Really?" The girl''s face showed innocent surprise as she moved the steak back in front of herself, apologizing, "I''m sorry, I didn''t know. Then, I''ll eat it."


    The priest kept his smile polite, but inwardly, he was muttering curses¡ªyou ordered it for yourself in the first ce, didn''t you!


    The silver knife and fork were ced above the steak, and upon cutting, the bright red blood could be seen in the crevice, a medium-rare steak, with just the surface cooked that much.


    Xu Shuo cut a small piece, forked it leisurely, and brought it to his mouth, then after pursing his lips, he shed them a bright smile, his lips tinged with the red of the steak.


    Officer Zhang''s mouth twitched slightly, and she directly asked, "Qiuzi, do you prefer this kind of food?"


    "Not really."


    The girl''s cheeks moved slightly as she ate, giving off a strange yet somehow enticing cuteness, and she said with a smile that showed eight white teeth, "I just heard it tasted good and wanted to try it. Now that I have, it''s not bad~"


    Her voice was very light, and her dark eyes nced at Officer Zhang with an unclear meaning.


    It had been raining these past couple of days, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit, with both outside and inside of the store feeling damp and chilly.


    The warm yellow light from the ceiling made the girl''s porcin-white skin glow with a golden luster, but also subtly highlighted the blue veins hidden underneath, fragile yet beautiful.


    Officer Zhang felt that the girl''s demeanor was indeed abnormal, and that she shouldn''t be in contact with her too much, yet she couldn''t help but cast her gaze towards the delicate doll-like girl across from her.


    She had felt the girl''s skin, cold as ice but also smooth and fine, quiteforting...


    Wait, something about her was not quite right, was it?


    Officer Zhang suddenly snapped back to reality, couldn''t help but swallow, and then slightly turned her head only to see the priest giving her a look that spoke volumes.


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    Xu Shuo was eating his lunch quite calmly, neither fast nor slow, as if time itself became viscous and slow around him.


    The priest kept staring at the girl. Although he didn''t make any more physical moves, the air about him was no longer so rxed.


    The crisp clinking of knife and fork against te, akin to the ticking of a clock, sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet restaurant until a swiftly approaching figure reached their booth, and that inexplicable feeling of suffocation suddenly dissipated.


    Xu Shuo was almost done with his meal when the two others'' well-done steaks were finally served by the waiter.


    Leaving thest piece untouched, heid down his knife and fork, lifted his head, and curved his lips into a smile, "Zhang, I''m finished eating."


    Officer Zhang, as if waking from a deep dream, covered the strangeness in her expression and said with a lightugh, "Are you going back to the dance studio? If there''s any more newster, I will..."


    "Zhang, in three days, Changying will choose a lead from among us for the performance," Xu Shuo suddenly interrupted her.


    His eyes and brow were curved, his youthful face oddly sinister as he smiled, "I know you''re looking for me for other matters this time. You''lle to find me again, won''t you?"


    Officer Zhang nodded with a calm expression, "Yeah, I wille to find you."


    Listening to this, Xu Shuo smiled contentedly once more, then stood up and left the restaurant, his fragile and graceful figure quickly vanishing into the drizzling rain.


    ...


    After the girl had left, the atmosphere at the booth suddenly rxed.


    After a moment of silence between the two remaining people, Officer Zhang suddenly red at the man beside her and scolded, "It''s all your fault! You said I was rming the snake by hitting the grass, but why did you have to act so hastily!"


    The priest maintained hisposure, still wearing a gentle smile, "Your eyes were practically popping out just now."


    "So what if I looked! I didn''t touch anything!"


    ```


    "Look again, and you too will be tainted."


    "The only thing that''s tainted is¡ª"


    Halfway through his sentence, Officer Zhang suddenly fell silent, her expression bing serious as she looked at him, "What do you mean?"


    The priest gazed distantly out the window, his eyes briefly ncing at the nearby dance studio, and spoke in a low voice, "The voyeur was right, Qiuzi might have really died that night, and now, it''s uncertain whether that girl is her."


    Officer Zhang frowned and became earnest, "She just passed us a message¡­"


    "That''s exactly what I''m talking about."


    The priest spread his palms open, looking at his right hand that had just touched the girl, and continued, "The current Qiuzi still has self-consciousness. She might be asking us for help, or perhaps, she''s luring us into a trap."


    On his palmy a new, burn-like mark.


    "Actually, this is the police''s job, there''s no need for you to do so much," Officer Zhang said with an inscrutable tone.


    "The world is protected by the Lord, and I, as the Lord''s most devoted believer, have an obligation to drive away darkness and evil, to safeguard the Lord''s flock," the priest said with an ambiguous smile on his face, his voice gentle, emanating an air of a chatan.


    Unable to pry into the priest''s mission and purpose, Officer Zhang quietly rolled her eyes.


    But for now, the two of them were reluctantly on the same side.


    While drinking water, the priest spoke again, "Moreover, I just looked at the files of those missing persons and noticed some issues."


    "What?" Officer Zhang asked while cutting her steak.


    "Those people, none of them believed in my Lord."


    Officer Zhang: "¡­"


    She paused, thenughed, "Neither do I."


    The priest also smiled, "In this city, there aren''t many who don''t believe in my Lord. So, you were targetedst night too, weren''t you?"


    Upon hearing this, the smile on Officer Zhang''s face vanished instantly.


    Last night, she indeed had an encounter with "ck Dog," but for some reason, it didn''t attack her and she returned to the police station undisturbed.


    At the time, she was driving Qiuzi in her car.


    The people in this city arergely religious, and the church where the priest serves is thergest one in town. The sharp spire of the church is also the tallest structure in the city, almost andmark visible from anywhere, like the dome of andmark.


    But just as there are those who are religious, there are those who are not. Officer Zhang doesn''t believe, and neither does Qiuzi.


    All those missing persons didn''t believe either.


    As she thought about this, she silently took a bite of her steak.


    The nature of this world is not that of an ordinary material realm¡ªboth the ck Dog disappearance case and the ensuing bizarre murder cases are the current major headaches for the police, and this was the initial information she had received.


    Just five minutes into the beginning, the police received a report: there had been a murder in the dance studio.


    Identifying as a police officer, Officer Zhang''s instinct was that the incident would revolve around the victim, but to her surprise, upon arriving at the dance studio¡­


    The victim was jumping around, very much alive.


    In that moment, the style of this world twisted.


    What makes those ensuing bizarre murder cases so odd is that the murderers are the victims themselves.


    ```

 Chapter 70: Chapter 67 Xuena

    Xu Shuo carefully avoided the puddles as he walked towards the building in the drizzling rain.


    The gloomy sky was bing darkened by a thick cloud drifting in from afar. It seemed the rain would not only continue but grow heavier.


    As the wind lifted her skirt, Xu Shuo withdrew her gaze from the sky and looked down at the back of her hand.


    The spot where the priest had touched her still felt a bit hot, unlike the other parts of her body, which were pale and cold. The back of her hand was slightly pink, as if scalded.


    This sensation was like encountering a loathed natural enemy, such that even her body stiffened in that instant.


    Xu Shuo nced again at the building with the pointed roof not far from her. It seemed she now had to avoid ces like churches, yet Qiuzi wasn''t a believer in a city where nearly everyone was.


    She wasn''t a follower of some other faith either; she was just an ordinary girl who danced ballet.


    But ballet wasn''t her dream.


    Originally, when Qiuzi came to the city all by herself to be a ballet dancer, it was Lanruo who had brought her here.


    The two had been good friends since childhood. Qiuzi followed when Lanruo shared her dream and said she was afraid of being alone and wanted someone to apany her.


    In that era, two drop-out girls made what could only be described as a crazy decision to head north in pursuit of their dream.


    However, the impulsive Qiuzi turned out to be even more talented.


    ...


    The dance studio.


    At noon, the vast and vacant room was lit by a sole incandescent light, half bathed in brightness, half in darkness, the rotating girl''s silhouette flickering.


    Her dance moves were graceful and beautiful; she truly was the Swan.


    As she stopped following a final, elevating motion, Xuena turned her head toward the person in the corner who had appeared at some point, and she was somewhat surprised.


    "Teacher."


    She stood up straight, bowing her head slightly, her expression somewhat ufortable.


    The woman in a ck dance outfit was hidden in the dim light, blending into the darkness, her expression grim and indecipherable. After a long moment, she took a step forward.


    Taller than the already statuesque Xuena by a head, the woman, usually stern, had a surprisingly gentle expression now.


    "Your foot is still recovering, so it''s better to reduce this kind of practice," Changying advised softly.


    "It''s okay. I''m worried that if I ck off, I''ll never return to my previous condition," Xuena bit her lip, pleadingly said, "Teacher, I still want to try for it..."


    Changying lifted a hand, caressed the girl''s delicate cheek, and sighed, "Xuena, originally you were the child I had the greatest hopes for. You''re so talented; you deserve the best."


    At those words, Xuena''s eyes brightened slightly, touched, "Teacher..."


    "But with your current condition, I''m afraid you won''t be able topete with Qiuzi and Lanruo," she said gently, her voice husky, echoing as if from afar,pelling one to listen intently.


    "Please believe in me, Teacher! I will seed," Xuena snapped back to focus, hershes trembling, but her gaze was exceptionally determined and invigorated.


    Changying pursed her lips with a smile but said nothing more.


    ...


    There was time for rehearsals in the afternoon, but because of her previous foot injury, Xuena needed to go to the hospital for a check-up.


    Now that she had gained the teacher''s approval, her mood, previously subdued and gloomy, surged with joy, and she walked out with a happy smile on her face.


    But just around the corner, she jolted with fright and shivered reflexively.


    There stood a girl, beautiful yet strangely exuding a cold and oppressive aura, silently staring at her.


    Startled, Xuena almost bumped into her.


    The girl, silent and still, had wide, dark eyes as deep and silent as whirlpools, and her pale skin had the cold feel of ice.


    The air around seemed to have be colder and there was a strange sense of suffocation, spreading into the distance along the dim corridor.


    The figure of the security guard who originally stood at the elevator entrance was gone for some reason, leaving the ce empty and extremely quiet.


    Aftering to her senses, Xuena forced a stiff smile, "...Qiuzi?"


    Xu Shuo curled the corners of his mouth, giving her a sinister smile, his voice unnaturally deep, "Xuena, I heard everything just now."


    "What?" Xuena subtly widened the distance between them.


    "But the teacher said before that I was the candidate she was most satisfied with." Xu Shuo spoke mournfully, his smile widening, his gaze filled with a pathological sense, "Xuena, you wouldn''t want topete with me, would you?"


    This guy... why does he seem like a ghost...?


    The moment she had passed close to the girl around the corner, Xuena had felt chilled to the bone.


    Now, she quietly stepped back two paces to the middle of the corridor, her gaze firm as she smiled, "Qiuzi, this isn''t about stealing, it''s a fairpetition based on ability!"


    Xu Shuo tilted his head, sizing her up with an indiscernible look in his eyes.


    The girl''s neck was strangely twisted, and her white long dress made her skin seem as if glowing, but it was a lifeless, pale glow, under which, faintly, greenish veins under the skin could be seen.


    Xuena instinctively surveyed every part of the girl, from her neck to her graceful figure, and finally to her slender and pale ankles.


    The ck Mary Jane shoes interwoven with paleness gave off a bizarre feeling.


    The girl''s shadowy under her feet in the dim light, appearing even darker, like the deathly white, was dead ck.


    "Have you had your fill?" Suddenly, a ghostly voice came from close by.


    In a daze, Xuena suddenly looked up to see that the girl had somehow closed the distance again, her dark pupils fixed on her, utterly devoid of emotion.


    Xuena opened her mouth, then stumbled back several steps, hitting the wall of the corridor.


    She lowered her head, and her thick hair concealed her cheeks, her eyes wide open in shock, but no sound came from her silent scream.


    But soon, sheposed herself and looked up again, forced a smile and said apologetically, "I''m sorry Qiuzi, you seem to have be even more beautiful."


    As she spoke, Xuena couldn''t help but nce at her again.


    Xu Shuo smiled faintly, "Don''t stare at me like that, it''s rude."


    "Oh, right, sorry..." Xuena quickly looked away, awkwardly straightening the hair that had fallen over her forehead.


    She was desperately trying to restrain her impulses, but here in this oppressive and oddly suffocating corridor, there was an eerie desire in her heart, driving her to cast her gaze over there, even to touch the girl, and even to...


    Time seemed to thicken at that moment, darkness spreading from the depths of the corridor, the light above their heads bing gloomy, their pitch-ck shadows huddled at their feet.


    This isn''t right!


    If she stayed any longer, she would be disturbed!


    Taking a deep breath, Xuena once again stepped back along the wall, her shadow shifting with her movements, as she said, "Qiuzi, if there''s nothing else, I''m going to the hospital now."


    "Actually, I don''t want to fight with you, Xuena," the girl said, her demeanor suddenly normalizing, with a coy expression and a sigh, "But there''s a lot to say about this matter. Come to the dance studio tonight, and I''ll tell you about it."


    "Tonight... isn''t that a bad idea?" Xuena blinked.


    "It''s rted to the performance, you''ll be interested," Xu Shuo chuckled softly.


    Xuena frowned, not responding, forced a strained smile, and then hurriedly left as if fleeing.


    Xu Shuo watched her retreating figure with a meaningful look, dropping the frightening, grim stance.


    "Pretty fast reflexes."


    Certainly faster than Officer Zhang''s reflexes, she must be a yer, right?

 Chapter 71: Chapter 68 Black Swan

    Qiuzi had an inexplicable allure to people.


    Xu Shuo didn''t know whether this was a mutation that urred after her death or if her charm had always been above average.


    In any case, it seemed to render people unable to control themselves.


    This inexplicably reminded Xu Shuo of a girl with long, straight ck hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye.


    He couldn''t help but touch his own face.


    It was a relief that he didn''t have a tear mole, Qiuzi didn''t either, and she wasn''t enchanting in appearance; she had a youthful, childlike quality. If she tied her hair in double ponytails and maintained a normal expression, she even resembled the expressive Xu Xi.


    But after death, no matter the expression, there was always something eerily uncanny.


    It wasn''t his fault that he was frightening; it was just how he looked.


    Xu Shuo rubbed his cheek and turned to walk to the dance studio.


    Changying was sitting on the floor resting, looking down at her phone, seemingly replying to a message.


    As he walked in, the woman abruptly lifted her head, still wearing that serious and harsh expression, as stern as a junior high school disciplinarian.


    "Teacher," Xu Shuo called out obediently.


    "Mm," Changying responded, then said, "Lanruo mentioned she was feeling a bit unwell and has gone back to rest. This afternoon you will practice alone."


    The dance studio session continued for another two hours after lunch, concluding at four in the afternoon.


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo paused momentarily, his expression one of surprise, and asked, "Unwell? No wonder she looked a bit off this morning; perhaps she also caught a chillst night."


    She''s directly noting?


    Although that little girl seemed timid and shy, she shouldn''t back down so easily. She couldn''t really have been scared away by him, could she?


    He had even nned to scare her a bit moreter on.


    It seems he can''t do that now.


    Changying''s brows furrowed, emitting a low pressure, and said in a very dissatisfied tone, "You young girls always fall short at critical moments. How can you not rest properly with the performance so close!"


    Xu Shuo bowed his head, responding very obediently.


    ...


    There were originally few people in the dance studio, and now the other two dancers had left due to othermitments, leaving Xu Shuo to practice alone in the spacious studio once more.


    However, the strict Changying dutifully taught him until four in the afternoon.


    This afternoon involved only simple physical movements, practicing in sections the dances they needed to perform for "Swan Lake". As Xu Shuo had many issues during the morning dance practice, Changying was especially strict.


    "Qiuzi, you''re almost capturing the essence of the ck Swan, but why can''t your movements keep up!"


    Changying said, frustrated as if hating that iron could not be steel.


    Xu Shuo blinked, "Sorry..."


    He didn''t know what exactly the ck Swan''s demeanor should be, but the feeling Qiuzi had while dancing was definitely inseparable from the creepy atmosphere.


    Perhaps, it was a touch more dark?


    As there were only two people, the dance studio had only half its lights on, with the other half plunged into dimness, silent and empty.


    Changying lifted the girl''s arm, cing it into the most perfect position, like manipting a marite, presenting the image of a swan ready to take flight.


    Xu Shuo felt his waist being embraced, the sensation from the palm neither warm nor hot, but cold enough topletely fit against his body.


    The girl''s eyes dimmed slightly, and she suddenly tilted her head back, gazing at the person behind her with inverted eyes, and softly chuckled, "Teacher, I just heard Xuena outside saying that she''s also going topete for this spot."


    Changying lowered her head, and unexpectedly locked eyes with the girl''s dark and profound gaze.


    It was pitch ck, utterly lifeless as if it was the Abyss, yet strangely, it held a vortex-like allure.


    In the story of "Swan Lake", the ck Swan assumes the identity of the White Swan to seduce the prince; hence, she is noble, graceful, yet simultaneously exhibits a feverish and unrestrained seductive power.


    She resides in the darkness, swaying with passionate dance moves, stirring the deepest desires within people, much like the serpent in the Garden of Eden tempting Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.


    Without a doubt, she was captivating!


    Changying''s absent-minded gaze sharpened, and she suddenly let go of the girl. Xu Shuo also stabilized his stance in that instant.


    Turning around, he tilted his head, showing a curious look.


    "Qiuzi,petition is fair," Changying said without expression. "Since Xuena ns to participate, then defeat her!" She looked up at the clock on the wall and added, "Time''s up."


    Unbeknownst to them, it was already four in the afternoon.


    Time seemed to have sunk into a thick swamp, slowly sinking down, yet imperceptible.


    Half of the dance studio was shrouded in darkness, and a repressive atmosphere enveloped the air.


    ¡­


    Changying tightened her face, changed out of her dance clothes, and left quickly in her high-heeled shoes.


    After the tap-tap-tapping of her heels disappeared down the hallway, the vast sixth-floor dance studio fell silent once again.


    It seemed he had scared another one away.


    Xu Shuo stood in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling mirror on one side of the wall, looking at his clear reflection, and no matter how he looked, he seemed even more sinister.


    He stretched his mouth into a grin, revealing a faint trace of blood between his pearly teeth, remnants of the medium-rare steak he had for lunch.


    Honestly, it was his first time trying it.


    But the taste was not bad, perhaps?


    Just then, the entire dance studio suddenly dimmed, even the curtained windows no longer let any light prate, and everything had be pitch ck and eerie.


    It was as if it had suddenly be night.


    Or rather, something had dyed everything in sight ck; the giant mirror faintly reflected the girl''s silhouette.


    At that moment, Xu Shuo felt the familiar stiffness; his body couldn''t move, and even emitted a strange, rotten smell, with an overwhelming sensation of suffocation flooding his mind.


    This time, his sensation was much clearer.


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    Something was crawling up from below his feet, and soon after, a thick, strange substance touched his back, cold and slimy.


    The entire world seemed silent to the extreme.


    But in the mirror, there was nothing but darkness reflected.


    Xu Shuo maintained his stiff posture without moving for a long while, just likest night, after the disgusting and oppressive stickiness passed, his body regained the ability to move, and the sounds that had disappeared began to return.


    The lights in the dance studio slowly brightened.


    He turned to look out the window, where it was still around four-thirty in the afternoon, the sky was overcast, but not dark.


    Xu Shuo looked down at himself, his skin still soft and smooth, but it had started to turn a pale blueish-white.


    And the craving for a medium-rare steak was stronger now.


    "Dinglingling¡ª"


    Suddenly, a piercing ringtone broke the silence of the dance studio.


    Xu Shuo came back to his senses, looked towards the rest area, walked over and picked up his phone.


    But he watched the caller ID and didn''t answer, and after a while, the ringing stopped, followed by a text messageing through.


    [Qiuzi, do you have time tonight? I want to take you somewhere.]


    ¡­


    ¡­


    "She rejected me!" Officer Zhang said, widening his eyes.


    The priest next to him, wore a not-surprised expression and stood up, saying, "Then let it be, she must have other ns."


    "But, you just said..." Through the ss window, Officer Zhang looked up at the dance studio with the curtains drawn tight, frowning unhappily.


    "Go find that little girl; I think she''s also a key figure in this incident," the priest said.


    The two had been sitting here all afternoon, and the police had already passed on Lanruo''s information to Officer Zhang, considering she might be the murderer who "killed" Qiuzi.


    Moreover, they had started to understand the "ck Dog''s" modus operandi through sharing intelligence, so the wait wasn''t entirely fruitless.


    But Qiuzi rejected her!

 Chapter 72: Chapter 69 Disappearance

    As evening arrived, the rainfall began to patter again, and thunderclouds rumbled faintly in the sky.


    Officer Zhang, reluctantly casting a nce at the dance studio''s windows, still started the car and drove the priest toward the urban vige.


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    The city was quite old, and there were many small viges nestled among the forests of steel and concrete, where sewer water unsettlingly gushed onto streets, sprayed by the passage of car tires.


    Lanruo''s ce wasn''t far from Qiuzi''s residence either; although they didn''t share an apartment, they both rented rooms within the same area.


    "They came up to the north together a few years ago but split up because they found the shared apartment too cramped," Officer Zhang said as she drove. "Last night, although no one saw Lanruo go to the dance studio, her room was also empty."


    "It''s a pity there are so few surveince cameras in this city, otherwise we could have checked more thoroughly," the priest said with a nod.


    "In this day and age, we must rely on human surveince."


    As they talked casually, the signboard of the narrow urban vige appeared before them. The roads inside were too cramped, so they didn''t drive the car in.


    Officer Zhang parked beside the road and turned to see the priest, who had somehow produced a ck umbre.


    Dressed in a ck robe with gold trim, a golden cross stitched on his chest, his expression was both sorrowful and gentle, exuding an aura of holiness.


    The man stood alone, silent in the rain with his ck umbre¡ªan indescribably somber sight.


    It was as if he was there to conduct a funeral.


    The city''s residents werergely religious; though the vige was home to many outsiders, the appearance of a priest drew involuntary nces from some of the elderly.


    A twitch of her mouth, Officer Zhang said, "Don''t walk with me, go over there."


    Having said that, she dashed into the street, braving the light rain. Following the information sent by her colleagues, she waded through puddles beside the road to a building.


    The dark staircase reeked of decay, and the dim yellow light was extremely faint, with stains streaking the walls.


    Officer Zhang nced back to see that the priest hadn''t followed; instead, he was being detained by some elders on the street. She then made her way up the stairs by herself.


    The hallway wasden with the typical dampness of the urban vige, smelling somewhat foul and oppressive.


    This building had only two apartments on each floor, facing each other. With many residents returning to their rented rooms at this time, the sound of conversation was sparse and disorderly, as if uttering delirious chants.


    Officer Zhang reached the third floor and knocked on a door.


    The banging sound against the rusty green iron door was jarringly grating.


    But she wasn''t able to knock open the door of apartment 301. Instead, due to the poor soundproofing, she ended up knocking the door of the apartment across open.


    Initially prepared to pick the lock, Officer Zhang, seeing the young man who peeked out from the open door, gave a smile and casually asked, "Sorry to disturb you. Do you know where the people from this apartment have gone?"


    The young man, his hair unkempt and dark circles under his eyes, spoke with a deadpan expression like a fish out of water, "Don''t bother knocking anymore. The girl who lives opposite me hasn''t been back for days. I don''t know, maybe she ran off with her boyfriend..."


    He muttered thest part under his breath.


    Lanruo was strikingly gorgeous, with a bold style and a good figure¡ªa girl like that would hardly be short of boyfriends.


    But definitely, not for him.


    Officer Zhang''s gaze flickered for a moment, herposure unchanged, as she inquired curiously, "Does she have a boyfriend?"


    "Maybe," the young man said, sounding uncertain. "I''m not too sure, are you looking for her?"


    "I''m her friend. I haven''t seen her contact me these past few days, so I got curious and came to check. I don''t know if something''s happened," Officer Zhang said, his face full of worry.


    Hearing this, the young man''s guard slightly eased, saying, "I used to see her going out frequently a few days ago. She''s a dancer, right? Always hopping around in her room, but these past few days there has been no sound. I don''t know what she''s up to."


    "Thank you. I''ll go ask some other friends then. If you hear anything, please remember to tell me," Officer Zhang said upon hearing this, nodding appreciatively.


    "Hm, I don''t know much, just that I haven''t seen her for several days," the young man replied, showing some impatience.


    Seeing this, Officer Zhang thanked him again and left, his footsteps clomping down the stairs as he quickly made his way onto the street.


    He looked around and saw the priest already sitting in front of a fruit stall, eating grapes and chatting with a few neighbors, looking quite at ease.


    As Officer Zhang briskly approached, the man excused himself to the enthusiastic neighbors and then stood up to look at her.


    "Lanruo is not in her apartment," Officer Zhang said in a hushed voice, looking visibly upset.


    The information from his subordinates was that after midday, the three people in the dance studio had separated. Xuena went to the city hospital, while Lanruo returned to her own rental, and she had note out since.


    In the city, only the main streets were monitored. Lanruo''s figure was lost after turning into the vige within the city, and after that, they had to resort to having people follow her.


    But just now, that young man said that not only was the girl not in her apartment, but she had also not returned for several days.


    Upon hearing this, the priest mentioned something seemingly off-topic, "No one has gone missing in this area."


    "Of course, I know that," Officer Zhang raised an eyebrow.


    "But a few days ago, a ck Dog died in the narrow alley and was stinking. It''s been dealt with, but the elders think it''s an ill omen. They wanted me to go pray over it," the priest added.


    Upon hearing this, Officer Zhang fell silent.


    In this era where news doesn''t spread easily, disappearances onlye to light through people reporting them. Without a report, there would be no way to know that something had happened.


    Worse still, what if nobody had "disappeared" at all?


    Recalling the striking girl who used to show up on camera precisely on schedule to check in at the dance studio made Officer Zhang shiver.


    Then he remembered that there were usually only four people in the dance studio, and it seemed two of them were acting strangely, which made him shiver for the other two as well.


    The sound of raindrops pattering on his arms indeed made it feel colder.


    Officer Zhang got back into his car, took a moment topose himself, then frowned and said, "If that''s the case, the anomaly likely started with Lanruo first, and afterwards, she went and killed Qiuzi."


    "But she didn''t vanish like the others who disappeared before; she still went to the dance studio for practice as usual," the priest said slowly.


    The ones who disappeared before had truly gone missing.


    No trace was found, and it was only after bizarre murder cases emerged that they could see shadows of those people. The footage of their appearances was nothing but deathly still, like Wraiths.


    That''s why they said the killers were the deceased.


    Those involved in the ''ck Dog'' incidents were essentially deemed dead by the police.


    As for why such a conclusion was reached, that goes back to events from decades ago, before this city was influenced by any religion, when all manner of sinister events were rampant.


    At this moment, Officer Zhang suddenly thought of something even more important and widened his eyes, saying, "Wait, if Lanruo disappeared and then came back to kill Qiuzi, then after that, could it be that Qiuzi... "


    Would it then go on cyclically, gradually contaminating the entire dance team?

 Chapter 73: Chapter 70 Solar Eclipse

    ```


    Thinking about these possibilities, Officer Zhang had already conjured up a plot twist where everyone was a ghost.


    The priest remained a picture of calmposure as he said indifferently, "What''s the hurry? We still don''t even know if the girl is truly ''missing''."


    Officer Zhang pulled back her thoughts and focused, "You''re right. I''ll have them put this area under surveince."


    Speaking of which, Qiuzi lived here too.


    She turned to look at the dpidated low-rise building submerged among the cluster of buildings, which seemed as gloomy as if merging with the overcast sky. Along with this urban vige hidden by the curtain of rain, it exuded an air of decayed antiquity.


    ...


    Officer Zhang escorted the priest back to the church and then returned to the police station, calling up the surveince footage from the streets.


    Lately, the entire police station seemed busy, but actually, they were conducting investigations secretly because they didn''t know if an incident from decades ago was about to repeat itself.


    Thatrge-scale cult gathering incident, which finally disappeared from the city with the military''s suppression, but who knows if it would make aeback.


    In the quiet office, only Officer Zhang was present. Her boss had gone out on a case, and the others had also been assigned tasks to various degrees.


    Beside her, the surveince video yed, and she asionally flipped through files to review past cases. In the silence of the room, suddenly the sound "tick-tock, tick-tock" began to ring out.


    Officer Zhang abruptly looked up, her face expressionless, listening intently to the startlingly clear sound.


    It drew closer and closer.


    In the deathly silent police station, this sound was like the footsteps of a clock or something dripping into a pool of water.


    Suddenly, a figure appeared at the door.


    After recognizing the figure, the hand that had been at her waist moved away, and her face lit up with a smile as she said, "Chief, you''re back."


    "Mm, the rain is getting heavier."


    Thepletely drenched man walked in, leaving a trail of water on the floor as he passed. He said this casually and took a towel from the rack to dry off.


    "This weather really isn''t conducive to investigating; some of the clues have been washed away by the rain," said Officer Zhang as she looked at him.


    "What are you looking at?" The Chief, while drying his hair, turned his head to look over.


    Officer Zhang paused the surveince footage and said with a frown, "Today, while I was in the old city district, I discovered there might be an unreported missing case, so I wanted to check the situation."


    As she spoke, Officer Zhang turned once more to look at her boss, noticing that water still dripped from his body and his pale face didn''t look too well.


    "You should change into some dry clothes first. Why didn''t you use an umbre? If you catch a cold, the work here will fall behind."


    "I know, I know; you''re such a nag. It''ste, you should get off work too. I''ll take care of the rest," said the Chief helplessly, waving his hand as he took the towel and left the office.


    After he left, the smile on Officer Zhang''s face immediately disappeared.


    She checked the time on her watch, realizing it was already seven o''clock in the evening, well past the end of her shift.


    Officer Zhang copied the data from the surveince system and then collected all the files in the office. Before leaving the police station, she looked back to see darkness enveloping everything.


    The staff on duty were nowhere to be found.


    ...


    In the church with its high vaulted dome, the orderly array of colored ss windows cast dazzling light within.


    In the prayer and rest room, the priest was leisurely drinking tea when a fellow clergyman in a matching ck robe entered, head bowed, carrying a stack of books.


    "Bishop, I have brought over the past liturgical books," he said.


    The priest nodded his head and spoke indifferently, "Mm, put them here."


    The clergyman set down the items and left. From beginning to end, he didn''t ask any questions, and even his expression was rigid without the slightest change.


    ```


    The priest nced at his retreating figure, then set down his teacup and casually picked up the topmost booklet, beginning to flip through it on his own.


    But at that moment, another worshiper suddenly walked in, speaking uncertainly, "Bishop, there is someone outside iming to be your friend, who had arranged toe and see you."


    At this hour, the church was already closed, but since the person had asserted with conviction that he was a close friend of the priest, and appeared distinguished, the worshiper thought it best toe in and report.


    The priest''s expression remained calm, "Then let her in."


    He didn''t confirm whether he actually had an appointment, and seeing this, the worshiper nodded and went out.


    Soon, Officer Zhang, holding herputer and striding in briskly, didn''t even bother with any formalities, which slightly annoyed the worshiper leading the way.


    The priest waved his hand, signaling the worshiper to leave, and then looked toward Officer Zhang, raising an eyebrow ambiguously.


    "I''ve brought these materials for you to look at, but now I intend to go and find Qiuzi," Officer Zhang said seriously as she set down her bag of files.


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    "Why are you acting so impulsively all of a sudden?" the priest asked, puzzled.


    "I feel like we don''t have much time. Qiuzi said the election will be in three days," Officer Zhang put theputer on his desk and plugged in the sh drive, continuing, "But who knows if it will all be over after three days."


    "Are you sure you haven''t been mesmerized by her?"


    "..."


    Caught off guard by the teasing, Officer Zhang stopped what she was doing and said helplessly, "I still know my limits. Following the lead of the dance troupe to the puppet master behind the scenes is only a matter of time, but we can''t wait that long. My ce... it''s not safe anymore."


    In this period, although the police''s actions were not obvious, it would not be long before they could no longer be concealed.


    After all, with so many missing persons, society was aware. If the police took no action, it would be even stranger, so how could the other party not be prepared.


    They had abducted so many young girls, if they wanted to do some bizarre thing it would have already been done, maybe the oue would be in three days.


    Hearing this, the priest''s calm face broke into a mysterious smile, "Do you know what day it is in three days?"


    "Spit it out if you have something to say."


    "Alright, it''s the sr eclipse."


    Officer Zhang was momentarily startled, then blurted out, "The celestial dog devouring the sun?!"


    The priest smiled, "You talk in such a second-rate way."


    Officer Zhang rolled her eyes, not amused.


    Although in academic astronomy it''s simply an astronomical phenomenon where the sunlight ispletely blocked by the moon, among the folk, it''s often regarded with the metaphysical belief of the "celestial dog devouring the sun."


    At this, Officer Zhang realized another point and said, "There''s a problem, you can''t see the sun when it''s raining, so how could there be an eclipse on that day?"


    "Maybe it will clear up that day," the priest replied.


    "It''s been rainy and overcast, with no sun in sight for days, why bother clearing up just to go dark again?"


    "Who knows," the priest said.


    As for those dark forces and their strange rituals, who indeed knows.


    Officer Zhang''s face went through several changes before she finally opened the video files on theputer, saying, "Take a look at this material first, I still need to find Qiuzi."


    This time the priest did not stop her. After the woman had set down her things and left in a hurry, he stepped forward and closed the door of the prayer room.


    He then turned back to look at the pile of files and booklets on the desk, along with the surveince footage, and let out a weary sigh.


    Her ce wasn''t safe, but where here was safe then.


    This was indeed a contest between faiths.

 Chapter 74: Chapter 71 Lanruo

    The heavy rain pped against the car windows, and the windshield wipers pushed the curtain of rain to one side, the colors of the neon above stretched out in the night rain like the aurora.


    Officer Zhang parked the car by the roadside and looked up at the height of the sixth floor.


    Through the window with the tightly drawn white curtains, a ck shadow flickered in and out of view. At this time, Qiuzi was dancing in the dance studio.


    Even after everything that had happened, she was still so disciplined.


    Officer Zhang sat in the car, quietly watching the graceful figure spinning and jumping, her gaze unconsciously a bit misty.


    The ck shadow cast a long phantom, flickering on and off. The girl''s dance moves were not only bold and beautiful but also carried a bewitching allure that made people involuntarily indulge.


    Time flowing by went unnoticed, the sound of the rain outside seemed to disappear as well, and beneath the shing neon lights, there was only that graceful figure.


    Not knowing how long she had been watching, suddenly, the spinning figure slowly stopped moving.


    The previously somewhat blurry shadow on the curtain became clearer as the person seemed to approach the window, then, they started stretching their legs in front of the barre.


    Officer Zhang snapped back to her senses, nced at the rain outside, and turned to retrieve an umbre from the car.


    However, after she got out of the car and opened the umbre, looking up again, she saw another figure reflected on the window!


    Was there someone else there?


    The figure stretching in front of the barre turned to look, the two people stood very close, seemingly talking, and the atmosphere seemed quite pleasant.


    But the next moment, the lights in the entire dance studio suddenly dimmed!


    A brightly lit window also instantly fell into pitch darkness, where nothing could be seen!


    Officer Zhang stood dumbfounded for a moment on the rain-drenched street, looking up at the pitch-ck window above, suddenly feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu in this scene.


    Wait a minute!


    Wasn''t this what the peeping Tom had described?!


    Realizing this, Officer Zhang''s eyes widened as she rushed towards the building across the street. After ncing at the position of the elevator, she immediately turned and ran up the side staircase.


    In the eerily silent hallway, her footsteps echoed rapidly. Officer Zhang, breathing heavily, arrived at the sixth floor and quickly opened the fire door.


    The corridor was dim and lightless, although the lights were on, the brightness from the ceilingmps failed to shine down.


    The security guard who should have been by the elevator was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a wooden table ced there, spreading a repressive and eerie qi throughout the sixth floor.


    Officer Zhang squinted her eyes. She slowed her pace and walked slowly towards the dance studio.


    The double doors of the dance studio were tightly closed, with no light seeping from the cracks. It was pitch ck, and no sound wasing from inside.


    If what she had seen from below for so long was not a hallucination, there should be people inside.


    Moreover, she had nced at the elevator upon running up, which was still in the same position; it was unlikely that someone left the sixth floor using the elevator in that interim, and she hadn''t seen any figures in the hallway either.


    Officer Zhang grasped the door handle, feeling the coldness of the aluminum alloy.


    After preparing herself, she forcefully pushed open the door!


    She was momentarily blinded by the sudden burst of light.


    As if the darkness she had just witnessed was the illusion, the dance studio was brightly lit, incandescentmps shone on the nearly reflective beige floor, casting shadows of two people.


    "Hm?"


    Xu Shuo turned her head to look at the door, a picture of innocence on her face.


    She was squatting on the floor, and in front of hery a girl with lifeless eyes, skin as pale and bloodless as herself, and even faintly gray and dull.


    Officer Zhang was momentarily stunned, shifted her hand from her waist and walked in, asking, "Qiuzi, what happened?"


    Xu Shuo surveyed her discreetly and then let out a troubled sigh, "I''m not clear myself. Just now when Lanruo came to talk to me, I thought she was going to apologize for what happened the day before yesterday. Instead, she suddenly tried to attack me."


    Then the oue was clear for all to see, she was lying on the ground.


    Officer Zhang stepped forward and crouched down too, she looked at the girl on the ground with wide-open eyes, yet lifeless and unresponsive, her pretty face expressing slight concern.


    "What exactly did you argue about the day before yesterday?" Officer Zhang casually inquired.


    "It was about that dancingpetition, she wanted me to drop out, but that''s impossible! She was only thinking of herself and didn''t care at all about what I wanted!" the girl said angrily, her cheeks puffing up with frustration.


    Officer Zhang observed her expression, her fingers twitching inexplicably, the girl''s naive charm was just too cute!


    As the saying goes, sexiness is worthless in front of cuteness!


    Fortunately, there was a pressing matter at hand to distract her attention.


    Officer Zhang moved her gaze to Lanruo, who was lying on the floor, and took out a pair of white gloves from her pocket to put on before gently touching the girl''s skin.


    It felt icy cold, the sensation prating even through the gloves, and her skin had also be very stiff. Although it was pale, itcked the delicate smoothness that Qiuzi possessed.


    The girl''s wrist waspletely limp, and it flopped down as soon as Officer Zhang picked it up.


    Next, she took out a small mirror and held it up to Lanruo''s nose.


    After a few moments, Officer Zhang flipped the mirror to check ¨C no mist, no breathing, no heartbeat.


    Suddenly, she looked at Qiuzi with aplicated expression, "Did you kill her?"


    Xu Shuo quickly shook his head, his dark eyes welling up with misty water, looking at her pitifully, "Zhang, I didn''t! When she lunged at me, she just suddenly fell down!"


    In the spacious dance studio, the bright incandescent lights were casting a clear glow, the floor was clean and spotless, and everything was in in view.


    There were no other traces in the room, no signs of a struggle.


    Officer Zhang didn''t actually believe that Qiuzi had killed the other girl, her question was just a probe; after all, in their expectations, Lanruo was probably already dead for some time.


    But a double murder was not impossible.


    Xu Shuo squatted nearby, watching the female officer begin a meticulous examination of the body. The two had been very close moments ago, but as she moved, their merged shadows split apart.


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    His face was calm, his eyes deep and dark without a hint of light, like a still pool of water, he stared intently at Officer Zhang''s back.


    Officer Zhang, who was leaning in close to Lanruo''s wide-open eyes, suddenly had a weird feeling. She quickly turned around to see Qiuzi bending a crafty, eerie smile towards her.


    "Zhang, have you found anything?"


    "Nothing..."


    Officer Zhang released Lanruo''s head, nced at those pitch-ck, lifeless eyes, and then looked back at Qiuzi, saying, "But it''s really strange that such a thing happened. I came tonight because I wanted to take you somewhere."


    Xu Shuo tilted his head to the side, "Where?"


    "The church." She gazed at Qiuzi''s dark eyes.


    "I''ve already refused," Xu Shuo said.


    He had declined the invitation when the text message hade through that afternoon. Although he wasn''t sure if he could actually go to that ce, Xu Shuo wasn''t keen on trying it out for now.


    Besides, he had made ns with Xuena.


    Just that Xuena hadn''t arrived yet, which was odd; she shouldn''t be disinterested.


    Xu Shuo stood up and looked at the time on the wall, half-past eight in the evening.


    It was the time when Qiuzi had been killed the night before, and tonight, whilst he hadn''t waited for Xuena, he did encounter Lanruo, who wanted to make another move.

 Chapter 75: Chapter 72 She Has No Shadow

    As he had expected, this little girl didn''t seem like someone who could be easily intimidated; she even dared to attempt another assault.


    Only this time she didn''t seed, after all, Qiuzi was already dead.


    Xu Shuo stood up and made his way to the rest area, saying, "Zhang, I have other things to do tonight, I''ll go with you some other time."


    Officer Zhang watched her retreating back without saying a word.


    The girl''s figure was perfectly outlined by her dance attire. Although she wasn''t tall, the curve of her long legs was incredibly exquisite, swaying with the grace of a swan as she moved.


    Under the bright lights, her shadow gathered an inch beneath her feet, moving as if lotuses bloomed with each step.


    Officer Zhang''s gaze flickered, she looked down at her own shadow below, then turned to stare at Lanruo, who was lying rigidly on the ground, motionless.


    She slightly increased the distance between herself and Lanruo.


    Her shadow followed her movements, the previously merged grey shadow of Lanruo now stretched apart, a clear boundary forming under the incandescent light.


    Seeing this, Officer Zhang quickly stood up and stepped back several paces,pletely distancing herself from Lanruo.


    This girl had no shadow!


    ...


    In the rest area, Xu Shuo was browsing on his smartphone; he opened a social media app and poked at Xuena''s profile picture, but got no response.


    The shadow beneath him always clung to an inch of his feet; even as the girl sat on the bench swinging her legs, it didn''t change in the slightest.


    Xu Shuo yed idly with his phone, lifting his eyes to nce at the woman in the dance room who was cautiously studying Lanruo.


    This game indeed started with the deceased.


    The game opened with Qiuzi''s witnessed death, followed by various characters entering the scene: police officers, dancers, teachers, priests, and Qiuzi herself¡ªas the deceased.


    Xu Shuo wasn''t blind to the basic outline of the story.


    From a group of more than twenty people, Changying narrowed it down to just three, and in secret, she went out of her way to stir up conflicts and battles between them, as if to awaken the darkness in their hearts.


    In this story, Qiuzi was the perfect White Swan¡ªpure and elegant, representing the side of light.


    Lanruo was thoughtful and embodied the unrestrained desires of the ck Swan, yet she couldn''t achieve the pure innocence of the White Swan.


    Logically, if it really were about finding the dancer who could best portray darkness, Lanruo would have been Changying''s first choice, but thetter had set her sights on Qiuzi instead.


    She continuously tempted Qiuzi topete with Lanruo, wanting her to unleash the presence of the ck Swan. Unfortunately, until her death, Qiuzi remained a White Swan.


    Only after death did she touch upon darkness.


    And Xuena had been the perfect Swan Princess from the start but had broken her wings, now unable to take flight.


    Clearly, Changying hadn''t forgotten to continue tempting her too.


    So, who exactly is the "Dancer in the Dark"?


    Xu Shuo yed a matching puzzle game on his phone, casually thinking about the plot, but by the time Officer Zhang had finished examining the body, and it was nine o''clock in the evening, Xuena still hadn''t replied to him.


    It looked like she wasn''ting today.


    Xu Shuo stood up and directly changed out of his routine clothes in the rest area.


    Officer Zhang was about to call out to him to say something, but just then she turned and saw this scene, so she silently turned her head away.


    Although she really wanted to look, the more mesmerized she became, the less she could control herself.


    After waiting a while, soft footsteps approached, and Officer Zhang turned her head again, seeing the girl standing slender and tall in a white long-sleeved dress.


    She seemed to look even paler than before.


    Officer Zhang nced at the shadow beneath her feet and frowned slightly, "Are you really not going toe with me tonight? I n to bring Lanruo as well, her current state is a bit strange."


    Xu Shuo smiled and did not engage, instead saying, "Zhang, I will be performing as the main character in three days, let''s talk about it then."


    With Lanruo now unable to take the stage, his onlypetition was Xuena¡ªof course, it was now uncertain whether Xuena could perform either.


    Originally, he had intended for Xuena to go on stage.


    Upon hearing this, Officer Zhang hesitated before asking, "Qiuzi, do you know what day it is in three days?"


    Xu Shuo didn''t even nce at the corpse on the ground and headed towards the door, his voice yfully trailing behind, "It''s time for me to perform~"


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    "Oh, and no need to turn off the lights after leaving."


    As the girl''s voice faded, so did her figure at the doorway. Officer Zhang did not stop or try to keep her there.


    The two had hardly had a meaningful conversation since they met, but some things were clearly understood by both.


    Whether Qiuzi was still human, they probably all knew by now, but because her identity was still useful for the time being, everyone refrained from speaking up.


    Conveniently, Xu Shuo wanted their help to advance the plot.


    After all, he still had Character Cards to fill out.


    ...


    The dance studio quieted down. Watching the girl''s departing figure, Officer Zhang sighed helplessly.


    She pondered things, bing lost in thought for a while until the silence became too profound. She then snapped back to reality, looked around the spacious and empty dance studio, and considered that probably everyone who danced here was not normal.


    Unsure if it was a psychological factor, Officer Zhang felt a chill and shivered.


    After informing her temporary teammates about the situation, she put away her phone, pulled Lanruo''s corpse up to rest on her shoulder, and prepared to take it back.


    Under the light, only her own shadow was reflected.


    However, in reality, as Lanruo dangled her legs at the tip of her toes, a small ck spot was spreading, pitch dark as if it were the dead of night, moving with her body, just like a shadow.


    But because the ck spot was not obvious and it spread very slowly, Officer Zhang had not yet noticed.


    Reaching the doorway, Officer Zhang intended to turn off the lights by habit, but just as her hand was about to hit the switch, the girl''sst words popped into her head¡ª


    "No need to turn off the lights when leaving."


    Thus, the finger that almost pushed the switch froze.


    Qiuzi wouldn''t have said that for no reason, right?


    Thinking it over, since she wasn''t responsible for the electricity bill anyway, whether or not the lights were off didn''t matter, so she decided to leave them on.


    Officer Zhang moved her finger away from the light switch and left the dance studio door ajar, leaving but a crack from which a beam of light spilled into the hallway outside.


    The hallway lights, which had been somewhat dim just earlier, had now returned to their normal brightness, as if what she had seen whileing upstairs had been an illusion.


    Only, the security guard was nowhere to be seen.


    Officer Zhang''s expression grew heavy, and though she had initially nned to take the elevator, she suddenly felt that the confined space seemed unsafe. She decided to just continue carrying the body up the stairs.


    The girl''s corpse was extremely cold, pale without a hint of color, exuding a chilling, eerie sensation,


    If it weren''t for her strong mentality and the need to investigate, Officer Zhang would not want to drag her along.


    As the two traversed, two shadows were cast under the light.


    One was a normal grayish-ck human silhouette; the other was a subtle one under the tip of the toes, starting to spread, slowly and eerily dark.

 Chapter 76: Chapter 73: The Black Fog Envelops

    The heavy rain poured down, filling the damp alley with the stench of sewers.


    The foul water meandered along the uneven ground like a stream rushing down the stairs, raising murky sshes.


    A passerby stepped heavily through the puddles and rhythmically knocked on a door within the alley, silent and soundless, as a thick presence spread through the darkness.


    After a moment, a rusted iron gate opened a crack, and a figure shrouded in a cloak and draped in ck robes appeared.


    "ck mist enshrouds."


    A low and hoarse voice slowly rose, grating like a sharp object scraping a mirror, involuntarily instilling a shudder.


    "Withering Rose," the neer whispered.


    As the voice faded, the shadow standing before the gate stepped aside, and the neer quickly slipped in, as the iron gate shut tight once more.


    The roomy in darkness; although there was a dim yellow light on the ceiling, it was like an ornamental piece, its glow failing to cast down, barely reflecting a faint gleam.


    That gleam outlined several dark silhouettes sitting around a round table, their bodiespletely hidden by cloaks.


    "Has everyone arrived?" asked the person who had just entered, looking around.


    "One is still missing."


    Another voice, its gender indistinguishable, spoke out; but no sooner had the words been spoken than a regr knocking sound came again at the door.


    Although the knock didn''t resound outside, the ticking was distinct and unmistakable inside the room.


    Therefore, the shadow that had just gone to open the door had no choice but to rise again, gliding out from the corner to the door and pulling it open just a crack, the sinister eyes staring at the bowed figure outside.


    "ck mist enshrouds."


    "Swan is dying."


    The shadow stepped aside.


    The person outside entered sideways, tall and straight, advancing toward the round table with unhurried steps.


    "Swan, you arete," someone said.


    "I encountered some bugs on the way and took some time to deal with them," the neer replied coldly, upying the vacant seat, her voice rigid and stiff.


    The room fell silent at once.


    After a while, someone said, "The police and the church have been on our tailtely; we''d best be careful."


    "There are only two days left, even if they realize what''s happening now, it''s toote for them to prepare," a disdainful voice responded.


    "Moreover, I''ve already dealt with the police," another chimed in: "They''re too busy to care about themselves now."


    "Compared to before, this batch of officials is really useless."


    Harsh jeeringughter echoed in the darkness, raspy and unpleasant like the murmur of demons, while a dense and cold breath wafted through the air.


    Procured arrangements were discussed by shadows under the dim light, and the whole city had been enveloped in darkness, smothered in ck fog everywhere.


    At that point, a voice asked, "How is the preparation for the sacrifices?"


    Thest to arrive, who had been silent, spoke indifferently: "I have cultivated three sacrifices for our master, the most suitable vessels carefully selected."


    "We only need one."


    "It will be one."


    "Hmm, this ritual is of great importance, I hope you don''t make the same mistake asst time," the shadow warned the female silhouette sternly.


    Upon hearing this, one who had been quiet instantly looked over, scoffing: "The problemst time was due to your inability to control your Necrophages, who tampered with the sacrifice I had prepared!"


    "These ''Contaminants,'' mindless Necrophages, act on instinct alone and can indeed be quite troublesome sometimes," another voice said with some impatience.


    Released ''Contaminants'' could indeed cause trouble for the police and the church, but if not managed properly, they could also be a nuisance to them.


    Before preparing to summon the dark god, they held a prayer ritual, only to find that the prepared sacrifices had been tainted by the Necrophages at some point. This not only resulted in an empty ritual but also nearly caused a bacsh from the ck mist.


    "Regardless, you must protect the sacrifice this time."


    "I know," the man nodded, his voice slightly deep as he stood engulfed in shadow.


    At that moment, a dark figure in the corner surveyed the crowd and spoke again, "So, the only issue we have left to resolve is the church, correct?"


    As the words were uttered, the atmosphere inside the room grew denser and colder, so still that not even an extra breath could be heard.


    The church that had expelled them once decades ago was now their most formidable enemy!


    ...


    The heavy rain poured down on the rooftops, puddles forming on the t roofs and water sshing to the ground through the drainage channels, scattering in all directions.


    A dark shadow hung upside down from the eaves, motionless as if dead, perfectly blending into the night as the rain ran down its body to the ground.


    Suddenly, the shadow''s head turned slightly, its hollow eyes shifting towards somewhere.


    Drip-drip... Drip-drip...


    Like the footsteps of a clock, or as if something was dropping into the water, the eerie sound echoed through the heavens and earth.


    The suffocating darkness slowly oozed around.


    The person lying on the rooftop, listening intently, suddenly became alert and without hesitation, swiftly rose and dashed away!


    But in the next moment, countless ck tentacles surged towards him from behind!


    Whoosh!


    The ck shapes struck the building and instantly dispersed into a cloud of ck fog that vanished without a sound.


    However, the fleeing man dared not underestimate them, darting through the veil of rain without looking back.


    Frantic footsteps echoed in the alleyway, sshing water with each heavy step as the pursuing darkness reached out from all sides to engulf him!


    The darkness burst out of the alley like converging rivers and swept toward the person in the center, but they leaped up in an instant to evade the encircling assault and continued running toward the distance atop the rooftops.


    At that moment, a ck tentacle as fast as lightning suddenly shot out from the side, hitting the fleeing figure unexpectedly and knocking them off the rooftop; they tumbled to the ground, rolling several times.


    The cold, suffocating fog spread out from the alleys again, and although the pouring rain beat down harshly, not a sound was made.


    The world seemed to fall into silence, with only the ticking ''drip-drip'' beating like a drum in one''s heart.


    The cornered individual stood up and looked up, only to see darkness in the sky; raindrops fell from the fog onto his face, trickling down from his chin.


    He was surrounded...


    The silent, seamless ck fog merged into the night, yet was darker than darkness itself.


    Suddenly, a ck tentacle shot out from the mist, swiftly wrapping around his waist and pulling back!


    Bang¡ª


    He was thrust into the ck fog, his mind instantly flooded with bizarre and noisy chatter, causing a swelling headache and muddled consciousness.


    But in the next moment, he was flung out of the dense fog, and the clear, crisp sound of the rain washed away the chaotic noises as it rushed into his ears.


    The ck fog furiously chased after him, but upon touching the neon lights on the main street, it vanished without a trace in an instant.


    The person bound by the ck tentacles dashed across the street and flew into the alley on the opposite side.


    A figure emerged from the ck fog, casting a sinister nce at the colors across the street before turning back to the small house with the rusty iron door in the alley.


    "Did they follow you here? ¡ª You didn''t clean up properly!" a voice rang out dangerously cold in the house.


    But the deep female voice wasn''t the least bit daunted,ughing with a sneer, "Perhaps the eavesdropper was already on top before I got here. Shouldn''t it be that you didn''t properly watch the surroundings?"


    "Stop arguing. We don''t know how much that person heard. Go deal with your own subordinates immediately," another voicemanded.


    With those words, silence fell once again.


    The dim yellow light from the ceiling wentpletely dark, and the faint outlines of figures present merged into the darkness, returning the small house to a deadly, pitch-ck stillness.

 Chapter 77: Chapter 74 Cooperation

    In the alley shing with neon lights, a cloaked figure was flung out into the darkness and crashed into a puddle on the ground, instantly soaking wet through.


    He got up, spat out the rainwater he identally swallowed, looked around, and then saw a petite figure ahead.


    The girl, like a wraith in a long white dress, had pale, bloodless skin and a faint smile on her face; but even her delicate and cute facial features couldn''t conceal the eerie and ominous aura that surrounded her.


    Especially those pitch-ck eyes, swirling with silent and dark depths.


    "Qiuzi?" the man on the ground got up, his tone tinged with slight surprise and doubt.


    "Xuena, you didn''t show up for the meeting, so I came looking for you," the girl said, tilting her head oddly and stretching her mouth into a smile.


    The eavesdropper upon hearing this voluntarily removed the hood of the cloak, revealing her face to be Xuena''s.


    She nced at the girl standing in the shadows, then diverted her eyes, hanging her head low as she asked quietly, "Qiuzi, are you with those people?"


    Xu Shuo smiled normally, "Then I wouldn''t have saved you."


    Although he wished he could be normal, he just couldn''t manage it.


    Having experienced the feeling of bewitchment before, Xuena now carefully avoided looking at him as she asked, "What do you want me to do?"


    But Xu Shuo countered with his own question, "What were you doing there?"


    Xuena quickly nced at the ghostly girl, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You said before that despite favoring you more, Changying agreed to let mepete. I thought there might be something hidden behind it, so I followed to see, but I didn''t expect..."


    Her words were a mix of truth and lies. Although that was part of the reason, more so, it was for her mission.


    She just hadn''t expected those people to be so terrifying; she was nearly forced to reveal her trump card.


    Xu Shuo nodded, his expression unreadable as to whether he believed her or not.


    Then, Xuena asked again, "What about you?"


    "Do you know what happened to Lanruo tonight?"


    Xu Shuo suddenly leaned in close to her, his ghostly figure unexpectedly right in front of her; the pallid face and chilling breath startled Xuena, causing her to stumble.


    Thump!


    She lost her bnce and fell backward into the puddle, staring dazedly at the girl who had approached her.


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo managed to suppress augh, "Sorry, it''s my first time ying a dead person, Ick experience."


    Xuena snapped back to reality, her expression suddenly serious, "Are you a Necrophage?!"


    No wonder this guy''s aura was always so strange -- ethereal and cold, marked by an undertone of death. Perhaps the female officer who came to the dance studio wasn''t eyeing Changying but was drawn because of her!


    "That''s such an unpleasantbel to put on someone," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    "Forget it, what do you really want from me?" Xuena stood up again, this time cautiously keeping several meters of distance.


    "In the ballet performance in a few days, do you n to defeat me and take the stage?" Xu Shuo asked.


    Xuena: "??"


    She looked bewildered for a moment, then quickly caught on, looking meaningfully at him, "You just said Lanruo was in trouble, and now that you''re a Necrophage, you''ll definitely fail in the ritual sacrifice, so you want me to take your ce on stage?"


    So, where exactly did Qiuzi get the confidence to think she would willingly act as bait?


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow, grunting affirmatively.


    Xuena let out a coldugh abruptly, "You really are with those people. Who knows what those cultists n to summon? Why should I offer myself up?"


    Xu Shuo simply watched her, then took a step closer.


    But Xuena reacted quickly, stepping back several paces until she was at the mouth of the alley, standing against the backdrop of neon lights falling from the street above.


    "Xuena, yourpetitive spirit is strong," he said.


    At that moment, the girl slowly began to speak.


    Her deep, dark eyes fixed on her, and a devilish whisper sounded, "Even though you know you can''t make intense movements with your injured foot and will surely lose to us in the end, you still go to the dance studio every day to train with us."


    "Because you harbor hope in your heart, you think you might just be lucky enough to win." Xu Shuo chuckled softly, "Xuena, you really want to win this election and be the one to perform on stage."


    Xuena didn''t speak, but her heart clenched tightly, nearly losing control of herposed facial expression.


    She knew she had to win the election, but she also wanted to know what she would face after her victory in order to prepare, which is why she followed that shadow to investigate the situation this time.


    Now that she understood the situation, Xuena knew she could just skedaddle once she got the lead role, without participating in the rest of the plot.


    Anyone who participated was courting death!


    Only fools would go!


    But Xu Shuo had approached her at some point, his hollow ck pupils staring at the girl, speaking eerily, "If you cooperate with me, I''ll drop out of thepetition when the timees, but if you don''t cooperate... I''ll make sure you don''t even get the chance to perform!"


    Xuena looked up, her eyshes quivering, and said softly, "You can''t do that."


    "I''m not threatening your life." Xu Shuo cocked his head, looking at her with mockery, "I can just talk to Teacher Changying directly."


    Xuena: "..."


    This guy, if he simply bypassed the wholepetitive process, indeed she would have no way to deal with that!


    After all, in Teacher Changying''s n, the person he was looking for was one who could bring out their dark desires, the most suitable to be a vessel.


    With Qiuzi''s current eerie state, she certainly couldn''tpete!


    At this thought, a fierce light shed in Xuena''s eyes, and she gritted her teeth, "Then I''ll reveal your identity as a Necrophage!"


    Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows in surprise at her struggle, then his expression filled with even more disdain, "Are you dumb or am I dumb? If you blurt it out, will Teacher Changying still trust you?"


    Xuena: "..." Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    The heavy rain poured down relentlessly, hitting the ground, and Xuena felt very cold as the chill of the rainy night struck her face.


    Wait, how could she almost forget?


    Her mission seemed to be just to win!


    With this in mind, she could now pretend to cooperate and directly leave this ce after thepetition ended in three days!


    In the blink of an eye, after settling on these thoughts, Xuena raised her head, pretending to be threatened, nodded vehemently, and said through clenched teeth, "Fine! I agree to cooperate with you!"


    Xu Shuo gave her a very gentle smile.


    But that smile, on Qiuzi''s chilling face, brought nothing but a creepy, unsettling feeling instead of any positive impression.


    "Don''t worry, as long as you''re willing to cooperate, I won''t let anything happen to you," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    Xuena didn''t speak, giving him a covert nce, took a few steps back, then turned and ran quickly out of the alley, disappearing soon into the curtain of rain.


    ...


    The puddles on the ground were heavily trodden upon, and Xuena, with a gloomy expression, walked under the neon lights; away from the girl, her thoughts became clear again, and she had just remembered another thing.


    She knew how to pretend and cajole, but what about Qiuzi?


    Was Qiuzi not afraid that she would go back on her word when the time came?


    Perhaps... Qiuzi actually didn''t know that her mission wasplete just by winning?


    Furrowing her brows in thought, Xuena''s mind involuntarily conjured up an image of the girl with a pitiful, pleading face.


    Wait, where was the pity?


    Wasn''t that just ghostly and eerie?!

 Chapter 78: Chapter 75 Necrophage

    Raindrops pitter-pattered against the car windows.


    After leaving the dance studio, Officer Zhang led his team toward the church.


    As she drove, she nced at her phone, which was set on the holder showing an ongoing call, but despite several attempts, the call wouldn''t go through.


    The call automatically disconnected, and Officer Zhang sighed, steering the wheel to another road.


    Due tost night''s incident, she was cautious not to take the same route, though it required backtracking, but it was better than running into trouble.


    In the heavy rain, the neon-lit streets had some pedestrians and vehicles, but not many, and the shops were deserted, with some having closed early.


    The weather had been bad for the past few days, and with all the strange urrences in the city, people were anxious.


    While waiting for the traffic light, Officer Zhang reached out to tap her phone screen, dialing another number.


    This time the call connected quickly, with the sound of heavy rain andbored breathinging through the speaker.


    "Huh?" Surprised by the connection, Officer Zhang sounded taken aback.


    "Captain?!" came a voice from the other end.


    "What''s happening there? I called several people''s phones, and no one answered," Officer Zhang asked.


    The person on the other end clearly rxed upon hearing her voice and then spoke seriously, "Today, several brothers went missing during patrol, and I can''t get in touch with the station. I thought something happened to you, Captain."


    Officer Zhang restarted the car, keeping an eye on her surroundings as she replied, "I''m outside now. How many people do you have there?"


    "About a dozen brothers, we just escaped from the ck Mist," the other side sighed, their voice weary.


    "ck Mist..." Officer Zhang narrowed her eyes.


    "Captain, the situation now is exactly like it was decades ago!"


    "I understand, lead the remaining men to the church, and be careful not to get near the station."


    "Actually, we just escaped from the station..."


    "..."


    That they could escape was indeed impressive.


    Decades ago, a group of cultists suddenly appeared in the city, unnoticed by outsiders. They preached in silence, performed sacrifices, and summoned the Evil God.


    Later, the military and the church joined forces to destroy the cultists'' summoning ritual,pletely annihting this evil organization.


    At least on the surface, it was annihted.


    Now that the cultists have returned, nning to achieve their goals, they naturally wouldn''t hesitate to attack official forces, and they probably wouldn''t spare even the church.


    After giving instructions, Officer Zhang hung up the phone and looked up at the spire emerging from the cluster of buildings in the distance.


    Embedded with a golden cross, the spire shone brilliantly against the shing neon lights.


    Being the tallest structure in the city, the church''s towering corner was visible from anywhere.


    Officer Zhang took her eyes off it and pressed the elerator to speed towards that direction.


    Under the curtain of rain, an old sedan sped across the waterlogged road, asionally jostled by the uneven surface due to its high speed, yet it drove steadily.


    A faint light was visible in the front seat of the car, but the backseat was shrouded in darkness, the light off.


    The seats'' leather was slightly rolled up and cracked, with yellowing edges, looking well-used and long overdue for recement.


    At that moment, lying stiffly on the back seat, a girl''s pitch-ck eyes swirled like vortexes as she suddenly lifted a hand.


    Then, with the hand raised, it seemed as though something was hoisting her entire upper body up, as if manipted by strings, pulling her up.


    The girl''s shoulder hung limp on one side, her pupils still a pitch-ck void.


    Then, her downcast head slowly turned, her pale, drained face eerily fixating on the driver''s seat ahead.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The church.


    The priest locked himself in the prayer and rest room, flipping through historical sacred texts and looking for ways to deal with the cultists.


    As a formal religion, the church had more detailed records of cultists than the officials did.


    After all, these were rivals capable of siphoning away believers.


    ording to the records, these cultists worshipped a Dark God who reigned over the abyss of desires, requiring pure young girls for sacrifices, and had sinister summoning rituals to call forth the Dark God.


    The deity of the church was the merciful and omnipotent Lord,manding countless believers across the continent. Even so, they could not summon the Lord to descend. What made those cultists think they could?!


    Indeed, it was a heretical cult!


    The sacred text recorded it as such...


    The priest focused on the useful information, paying no mind to the entries filled with strong subjective viewpoints.


    What disheartened him was that,st time, they had driven off the cultists with the help of the Pdin Legion. The sacred texts devoted entire sections praising the great knights, but his small church did not have any pdins.


    At that moment, the door to the prayer and rest room was suddenly hammered with a "bang, bang, bang."


    A panicked voice from a believer on night duty came from outside, "Bishop! Your friend hase again, and... and she..."


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    The priest closed the sacred text, stepped forward, and pulled open the door. The person who had been leaning against it outside fell in abruptly as he stepped aside to let them through.


    The fallen believer, regainingposure, scrambled anxiously back to their feet.


    The priest looked up and raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    Officer Zhang stood not far away, expressionless, "What are you waiting for,e help!"


    The woman''s entire right arm was entwined in ck mist, hissing with a sizzling noise, and viscous substances were dripping down to the ground from her arm like oil.


    In her right hand, she was holding a leg. The leg''s original ownery on the ground, half of the body dragged mercilessly behind by Officer Zhang.


    The priest stepped forward to take a look, then said to the believer beside him, "Go get some Holy Water."


    The believer nodded, visibly terrified, carefully avoiding the substance on the floor as he hurried out.


    Seeing the fear on the believer''s face, Officer Zhang could not hide his disdain, "Don''t tell me you''ve only got this sort here. If those things attack you, won''t you all just fall into chaos?"


    "He''s just an ordinary believer, in other words, amon person," the priest said indifferently, ncing over what had been dragged in.


    It was a little girl with lifeless eyes.


    Devoid of a soul, only a soulless body remained, her skin pallid and stiff.


    The priest merely looked without touching, asking in wonder, "Did you just rush over and grab her? And where did you find her?"


    In the evening, this man imed he was going to look for Qiuzi, but when he returned, he brought back the girl named Lanruo.


    Officer Zhang released Lanruo''s leg that he was holding and said nonchntly, "When I went, she was attacking Qiuzi, but she failed and entered a weird state of suspended animation. Then, on my way bringing her to the church, this thing woke up again."


    What followed was self-exnatory.


    The priest nced at her battered condition and said nothing, just scrutinized Lanruo.


    This thing, it seemed like a Necrophage mentioned in the sacred texts.

 Chapter 79: Chapter 76 Holy Water

    Soon, ordinary worshippers brought Holy Water.


    It was called Holy Water, but in reality, it was just clear water from the pool in the church''s backyard, filled in a Holy Grail, crystal clear and seemingly nothing special.


    The priest waved away the trembling worshippers, then holding the Holy Grail, he turned to Officer Zhang.


    "What''s up?" Officer Zhang asked, raising an eyebrow.


    She knew from the police station''s archives that, decades ago, the majority of the main fighting force against those Cultists actually came from the church. After all, as a religious institution, they should have some means to deal with foreign religions.


    Although the present church looked quite shabby, the bishop, the priest, and the pastor were all the same person, and in therge church, there were hardly any worshippers, not even knights...


    The more she thought about it, the shabbier it seemed.


    The priest smiled and said softly, "You''ll have to endure some pain, probably about the same as alcohol disinfection."


    Upon hearing this, Officer Zhang looked around, pulled a seat cushion off the pew, bit into the corner of the edge, and then nodded towards the priest.


    Previously, Lanruo had attacked her while she was driving, and she had almost caused a car ident. Although she had eventually subdued Lanruo, her entire right arm had been infected, burning and stinging as if it had been scorched.


    Even more so, if there was nothing to distract her, her thinking seemed to be influenced by the intense pain, muddled as if in a nightmare.


    And now, as the priest poured the Holy Water over her, Officer Zhang bit down hard on the cushion, a delicate and lovely face of a girl shing through her mind.


    "Hiss¡ª"


    The Holy Water flowed down the arm, and immediately there was a sizzling sound like hot oil cooking meat, ck mist entwining as white vapor rose. Officer Zhang drew a sharp breath, enduring the agony as she lowered her head, her left hand clenched tightly, her whole body trembling slightly.


    After the swirling ck mist dissipated, Officer Zhang''s arm was revealed, the skin a pallid grey, with a piece hanging limply as if the flesh had been torn apart, surrounded by rotting, eerily pitch-ck flesh.


    With a calm expression, the priest took a square cloth, soaked it in Holy Water, and wrapped it around the ckened rotting flesh. Then he made a gesture and closed his eyes to begin praying.


    Officer Zhang kneeled on the ground, leaning against the pew, her head buried in her arm as she endured the punishment. After a while, she felt the tearing pain in her arm ease slightly and be bearable.


    "That''s enough, just rest for a bit longer," came the priest''s gentle voice.


    Officer Zhang let go of the seat cushion in her mouth and cursed clearly, "Fuck! That really damn hurts!"


    Priest: "..."


    With the crisis over, Officer Zhang naturally returned to her usual demeanor. She nced at the moist cloth wrapped around her hand but didn''t touch it, then turned to look at Lanruo on the floor.


    She had thought this creature was truly dead, but it seemed to have entered a dormant state for some reason, and that reason was probably rted to Qiuzi.


    She had no idea what Qiuzi had done to it at the time.


    Officer Zhang thought about it and, frowning, said, "This thing seems to lurk in the shadows, and darkness can activate it. The ck mist it emits can cause confusion, and its attacks have a strong infective quality."


    She ryed her encounter with this thing, as, after all, they were now on the same side, and she had no qualms about revealing everything about the enemy!


    The priest nodded and shared his own information: "ording to the church''s records, these creatures are ''Necrophages'' under the ''Dark God'', created by the Dark Cultists. Afterplete transformation, their consciousness disappears, acting on instinct, feeding on flesh and blood, with strong infectiousness and corruptive power, like a gue."


    As he spoke, he nced at Officer Zhang''s arm and added, "For instance, if you were injured by one, you could turn into a Necrophage."


    Officer Zhang''s face stiffened.


    Then the priest continued, "The church''s Holy Water has a healing effect on this kind of corruption. Although not as strong as before, at least it''s still called ''Holy Water.''


    As long as it''s still called Holy Water, it must certainly still be Holy Water!


    Officer Zhang, "Then let me take a bucket back with meter."


    "...Adding more won''t have a cumtive effect."


    "I''ll sprinkle it in other ces."


    "It won''t work without a priest''s prayers."


    "Tch."


    ...


    Lanruo, now once again in a dormant state, wasn''t good to be left in the church''s main hall, so Officer Zhang dragged her with a nket and temporarily locked her in the church''s small chamber.


    Then the room was lit up with electric lights and candles, brightly illuminated!


    "I can''t believe your church actually has a private prison!" Officer Zhang pped his hands as he walked out, clicking his tongue and shaking his head.


    The priest finished mopping the floor with holy water and said calmly, "Let your police force pursue this matter after this crisis is over."


    Anyway, by that time, it wouldn''t be his concern anymore.


    Officer Zhang had just teased a bit in keeping with her identity and then she immediately asked, "Did you find out any information today, like where that group of people is hiding?"


    "No." The priest slightly frowned, "Lanruo''s figure always appears only under the cameras on the road to the dance studio, and once she enters the urban vige, we can''t track her anymore. I have only identified two possible areas, but no exact locations. ¡ª What about your people?"


    "Don''t mention it, no news at all, and they almost gotpletely wiped out." Officer Zhang said with a mouth twist.


    The policeck the ''holy'' methods of the church; they are okay at gathering information but don''t have a way to deal with those strange attacks for now.


    Although the church is out of the loop with regards to news, it has methods for the purification of cultists; that''s why they teamed up in the first ce years ago.


    Now that the incident has resurfaced, those cultists clearly understand this reason and targeted the police first since they could locate their positions, which also caused the investigation to halt at a critical moment.


    After hearing this, the priest reflected for a moment and then said, "I''ve been meaning to tell you, since they''ve already made a move against the police, I think the church will soon be attacked as well."


    "And then?" Officer Zhang asked, touching her right arm.


    "You got Lanruo from Qiuzi today, and I''ve figured it out, Qiuzi''s current state is probably not much different from a Necrophage," continued the priest.


    Hearing this, and recalling that exquisitely cute, yet asionally eerie girl, Officer Zhang fell silent.


    ''ck Dog'' stirs up the desires within one''s heart, and the contaminated person amplifies their darkest thoughts, acting solely on those instincts.


    Lanruo probably killed Qiuzi out of uncontroble jealousy initially, but what would Qiuzi do after being contaminated?


    She remembered how the girl danced during the day, her light, leaping figure as graceful and pure as a white swan. Enjoy exclusive chapters from m-v l''e|-NovelBin


    It was hard to imagine what Qiuzi would do after turning dark, after all, if she wanted revenge, naturally she would kill Lanruo, but Lanruo was already dead, what else could she do?


    Win the performancepetition?


    Go and kill Xuena?


    This plot really is about contaminating the dance troupe one by one...


    Officer Zhang''s thoughts inevitably drifted.


    At this moment, the priest spoke again, "So, Qiuzi must know something, she even said she looked forward to you visiting her, why not go directly and ask her for the location of the cultists'' hideout?"


    ...

 Chapter 80: Chapter 77 Solo Fight

    Officer Zhang looked at the priest with an inexplicable expression.


    After a long while, she sneered, "You''re using me as a guinea pig. If Qiuzi had something to say, she would have said it a long time ago."


    Instead ofing to her before and making her wait time and again for the election results.


    Moreover, it had been a while since Qiuzi became a Necrophage, and Lanruo had persisted until today to fully transform. It was unclear what Qiuzi''s current condition was...


    Hearing this, the priest just smiled and said nothing.


    However, tonight was destined to be a sleepless one for several people.


    ...


    In the old urban vige, within the damp and decaying low-rise buildings, the light was dim, and the night was oppressive and thick.


    Xu Shuo did wait seriously for a while, but when Officer Zhang didn''te to get the information from him, he had no choice but to go to sleep disinterestedly.


    Before sleeping, that cold and sticky sense of strangeness appeared again.


    And the feeling became more distinct as time went on. In the darkness, it seemed as if countless eyes were staring at him, and the cold w that had touched the contours of his neck was also discernible.


    Yet his own consciousness was beginning to blur.


    Xu Shuo rubbed his head. This feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu reminded him of the time when his body was upied by Dr. Chu''s personality in thest script.


    It was almost the same sensation.


    It seems that even if a yer enters the body of a character, any injury the character receives is fully reflected in the yer''s consciousness, even if the contamination urred before their possession.


    If in a normal, full-fledged script, a character actually diespletely, and then a yer enters the body, wouldn''t they also die on the spot?!


    Others might not need to consider such problems, but Xu Shuo was a bit worried.


    He hoped that he hadn''t chosen the wrong character this time.


    And he hoped that he wouldn''t choose the wrong character in the future!


    ...


    The next morning, Xu Shuo opened his eyes calmly and first went to the vanity to check his appearance.


    Good lord, was he turning into a zombie or what?!


    Xu Shuo opened the drawer of the vanity and rummaged through it, finding a pair of colored contact lenses.


    Unexpectedly, Qiuzi''s taste was quite unique; these lenses were gold. Xu Shuo looked further and found either red or silver, or even gaudy pink contact lenses.


    He picked a rtively normal pair of silver lenses and put them on. Although the lenses quickly tinted grey, they at least made his almost pitch-ck eyes look a bit more spirited.


    Ah, trying to pass as a normal person every day.


    Xu Shuo dressed in a in white T-shirt with denim jeans, the kind of outfit that would gopletely unnoticed on the street.


    Today was still covered with a drizzling rain.


    However, although it had been raining for several days, and every day there was a filthy little stream coursing down the streets, the city had never reached the point of flooding.


    Yet with the sky never clearing, people''s moods remained suppressed.


    Xu Shuo went to the dance studio by himself today. At eight in the morning, the entire sixth floor was dim, the security guard was nowhere to be seen, only the dance studio was brightly lit.


    Officer Zhang hadn''t turned the lights off when she leftst night.


    Probably around nine o''clock, Xuena also arrived. Seeing Qiuzi practicing alone in front of the mirror, her face looked slightly uneasy.


    She scanned the whole dance studio, which was vast and empty.


    "Why hasn''t Changying arrived yet?" she asked nonchntly.


    "I don''t know, maybe she was traumatizedst night."


    Xu Shuo said casually, spinning slowly in his look. d in a pure white dance attire today, his graceful dancing made him appear even more saintly.


    Xuena cast a nce his way before quickly averting her gaze and walking into the changing room. When she came out after getting dressed, she saw Teacher Changying had also arrived.


    With such a rigid and strict personality, she would surely never bete.


    Teacher Changying still had her cold face, and it was impossible to tell if there was anything amiss from her expression. Her sharp eyes scanned the dance studio before she nced at the clock on the wall, and her face immediately darkened.


    "Lanruo hasn''t arrived?!"


    Xu Shuo turned his head, feigning innocence as he said, "I don''t know, maybe she''s still not feeling well?"


    After all, she hadn''t shown up yesterday afternoon, iming she was feeling unwell.


    Xuena, well aware of the real reason, only showed a fitting look of concern mixed with questioning upon hearing this, choosing not to say anything else.


    Teacher Changying''s face turned incredibly sour, as if she was brewing some sort of Storm, and she took out her phone to call Lanruo, but there was no answer even after it rang for a long time.


    "You''re about to audition for the lead role, and now she''s causing trouble at this critical moment¡ªdoes she still want to participate?" Teacher Changying


    "Teacher, it''s okay," Xu Shuo chimed in at this point, shing an obedient smile, "I dance better than her~"


    Teacher Changying nced at the delicate girl and then subtly at Xuena not far away, not saying anything but the anger in her seemed to subside a bit.


    At least on the surface, she wasn''t angry anymore and resumed her expressionless facade as she started today''s training after changing clothes.


    The morning passed quickly, and Lanruo still hadn''t shown up; her phone remained unanswered.


    Then, Xu Shuo, who couldn''t seem to dance well no matter what, was as usual scolded by Teacher Changying, her words harsher than before.


    It was as if she was taking out all her anger on him.


    So, during lunch break, Xu Shuo approached Xuena and whispered, "What do you think, if I also disappeared tomorrow, would Teacher Changying explode?"


    Xuena''s eyes widened immediately, and she lowered her voice to respond quickly, "That won''t do! That would startle the snake in the grass!"


    Thepetition was the day after tomorrow. If he disappeared tomorrow, along with Lanruo who obviously wouldn''t return, with three sacrifices suddenly reduced to one at the critical moment, Teacher Changying would definitely explode!


    Though the lead role would most likely fall upon her, before that, she would have to endure the fury of a manipted Teacher Changying!


    "Eh~" Xu Shuoughed and said, "Alright, I was just talking."


    But seeing the sly smile on the girl''s face, Xuena was already prepared¡ªif Qiuzi really didn''t show up the next day, she would also y the disappearing act!


    And to think positively, Qiuzi probably wouldn''t take such a risk.


    After all, they still needed her to appear in the ceremony the day after tomorrow.


    Most likely.


    After thinking it over, Xuena still felt uneasy and said, "Don''t stir up too much trouble these next two days. Those people are now busy dealing with the police and the church; we don''t need to take any risks here, just wait for the day after tomorrow."


    Xu Shuo nodded nomittally and then picked up his phone, saying, "Officer Zhang has invited me to dinner again, do you want toe along?"


    Xuena hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, I have other things to take care of."


    She had to go to the hospital this afternoon as part of her routine.


    However, Xu Shuo gave her a somewhat inscrutable look, asking again, "Are you sure you won''t join us?"


    Xuena refused again and left the dance studio after changing her clothes.


    Xu Shuo didn''t try to persuade her further and lifted the corner of his mouth in a gentle smile. His silver-ck eyesnded on the girl''s departing figure, watching her almost predatorily.


    He had given the opportunity, but she herself chose not to join the organization.

 Chapter 81: Chapter 78 Shes Really Innocent

    ```


    Officer Zhang still chose the same restaurant as yesterday.


    She was dressed in casual clothes, sitting in the booth by the window, looking a bit cramped.


    This time, the Father didn''t follow her.


    "Zhang," Shuo greeted her and sat down across from her. Without a word, he impolitely flipped open the menu and ordered another rare steak from the waiter.


    He passed the menu over, and Officer Zhang waved her hand as she said, "A te of tomato pasta."


    After the waiter had gone and the Father still hadn''t arrived, the table fell silent for a while.


    Then, Shuo blinked and feigned innocence as he asked, "Zhang, what did you want to see me about this time?"


    Officer Zhang instinctively studied the girl.


    Today, her skin seemed even more translucent and clear, with the bluish veins underneath subtly visible. Her young and adorable face was pale, with a fragile and brittle look to it.


    But at that moment, Officer Zhang was preupied with the image of Lanruo attacking herst night, the gaping maw, ferocious like the demonic Green-Faced Fangs.


    She shivered and reluctantly snapped back to the present with a forced smile.


    Seeing the waiter bring the rare steak, she promptly said, "Let''s eat first."


    Shuo raised an eyebrow but did not tease her any further, seemingly unable to wait as he cut into his own steak.


    Pinkish blood seeped from the crevices of the meat, pooling on the te beneath the pale juices of the steak.


    The girl ate with deliberate slowness, her lips tinged with an eerie red. Officer Zhang sneaked a few nces and couldn''t help but imagine Qiuzi with her gaping maw.


    Such an adorable girl, yet a monster¡ªthat thought was increasingly heartbreaking.


    She sipped her water uneasily.


    After a while, her tomato pasta also arrived.


    Looking at her own entree, also tinged red, Officer Zhang froze, suddenly regretting her choice of vor.


    Shuo finished his steak quickly, licking his lips and pausing for a moment before looking up, hisrge eyes fixed on Officer Zhang as she struggled with her red pasta.


    Sensing the gaze, Officer Zhang quickly looked up, "What is it?"


    "Can I order another one?" Shuo asked.


    "Sure..." She stared at his te, now clean except for the bloody residue, forcing a stiff smile onto her face.


    Last time he hadn''t even finished his meal, and now his appetite had grown so much?


    If it continued at this rate, what would happen the next day...


    Officer Zhang''s eyes never left him, but the girl continued to eat her second steak calmly, showing no signs of oddity.


    Shuo maintained a fast pace while eating his second steak with restraint. He let out a small burp, actually wanting a third one.


    Although Shuo had never had a habit of eating raw food, as the intervals of being possessed by that strange entity shortened, he felt an increasing craving for such flesh and blood.


    Or rather, the other being did.


    But ordering another could possibly frighten the policewoman across from him, whose gaze was already bing wary.


    No surprise, it might be because Lanruo, whom she took backst night, went berserk again.


    Previously, Shuo had only consumed her shadow, but that entity seemed to be controlled by something else, and what was let loose was akin to an avatar, so it couldn''t bepletely eradicated.


    Moreover, in the dark, shadows recover quickly.


    ```


    Xu Shuo finished thest piece of steak, set down his knife and fork, and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth.


    Seeing this, Officer Zhang across the table quickly put down her own fork since her meal was tasteless to her anyway.


    "Zhang, how many people at your end can still be used?" Xu Shuo seemed to ask casually.


    "There''s no need to worry about our side," Officer Zhang replied cautiously, taken aback.


    Xu Shuo nodded, not pressing further, then added, "The day after tomorrow, after the main performer selection, I will arrange for Xuena to win and be the performer of ''Swan Lake''. Because right now, she''s the only one who meets the requirements."


    Officer Zhang originally wanted to say something upon hearing the first half of his statement, but thest part of Xu Shuo''s sentence left her choked.


    She narrowed her eyes, thinking of something.


    Lanruo was now under their control and definitely couldn''t perform the day after tomorrow, so it would be easy for the lead to fall to Qiuzi, especially since the other girl''s foot injury clearly impaired her dancingpared to Qiuzi.


    But now, only Xuena meets the requirements?


    Was it because the performer, or rather the sacrifice for the ritual, had to be a human who hasn''t been contaminated?


    Thinking this, Officer Zhang frowned slightly.


    Xu Shuo sipped his water and continued, "I was indeed nning to go on myself, but s, the current situation doesn''t allow it. I asked Xuena this morning, and she''s willing to cooperate with me to win, but afterwards..."


    She might not be willing to go through with the performance.


    Officer Zhang pondered and asked, "Can we choose someone other than you?"


    If possible, she wanted to arrange for one of her own people to blend in, which would be much more stable than working with strangers.


    "Yes, but if there''s someone better, those people probably won''t settle for just anyone."


    Xu Shuo shook his head, sighed, and said, "Changying has special methods of training us. Whether it''s the presence of the dance studio or her constant sowing of darkness in our hearts, it all makes us morepatible with the ritual."


    And the other side would prepare three, probably as a precaution, in case one identally bites the dust, there would still be two left, rather than losing all three at the same time.


    So, in this script, it really dide down to choosing one of three.


    The script is fair¡ªall have a chance toplete their mission¡ªit''s just a matter of whether they can seize it.


    Xu Shuo looked at the blood thread floating in his water ss, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, the girl''s pale and delicate face devoid of color, but with an oddly enticing allure.


    Officer Zhang nced at her a few times before averting her eyes. After a silent moment, she hesitated and said, "We can''t just give up, but Qiuzi, do you know the hiding ce of those people?"


    "Hm?" Hearing this, Xu Shuo tilted his head innocently, "I don''t know."


    "Alright..."


    Having received an answer, Officer Zhang couldn''t tell if she was relieved or somewhat disappointed. At least nothing came of asking such a question.


    The girl idly swirled the ss, seemingly interested in the whirlpool within, herrge eyes blinking, her pallor lending her an innocent, pure appearance.


    The two of them then discussed other matters, and Officer Zhang shared some of the intelligence she knew.


    The existence of "Cultists" and "Necrophages" had now been franklyid out, disclosing the whole story of this event.


    While speaking, Officer Zhang stealthily observed the girl''s reaction, but Qiuzi''s calmness was a bit too much, only asionally showing curiosity.


    When it was about time, they settled on the rough n of action forter, and their meal for today came to an end.


    ...


    Back at the church, Officer Zhang shared the information she had received that day.


    Then she got a strange look from the priest, who after a while said slowly, "Qiuzi definitely knows, she just doesn''t want to tell you. Someone who can easily deal with Necrophages isn''t simple. It seems you''re already bewitched."


    Officer Zhang: "¡­"

 Chapter 82: Chapter 79: Stab in the Back by Allies

    Even if she truly fell under a spell, she didn''t give away our defenses, Officer Zhang thought to himself.


    At this moment, the priest pondered and continued, "However, although we couldn''t get the hiding ce from her, the intelligence she provided is quite important. ording to Qiuzi, it''s possible that they may no longer cooperate with us in finding the location of the ritual, right?"


    Officer Zhang came back to reality and nodded, "And the current situation is that Xuena is the only possible performer."


    So if they want to strike at the cultists''ir through Xuena in one fell swoop, then she must be willing to take this risk.


    Originally, it was Qiuzi who served as this intermediary, but now her condition makes her incapable of fulfilling the role.


    The priest asked, "Can we talk to Xuena?"


    "Qiuzi said she was nning to bring Xuena to meet me today, but Xuena refused," Officer Zhang said with a frown, "She doesn''t seem to want to get involved in this matter."


    "...Don''t you feel like you''ve been ''tea''d''?" the priest said, somewhat speechlessly.


    "Why are you always so critical of others?" Officer Zhang said, slightly impatient.


    No sooner had he spoken than the priest brought a cup of water to her, saying with a smile, "Alright then, have some water to cool down."


    Officer Zhang''s face darkened, knowing full well this guy had just scooped it from the Holy Grail. Despite her annoyance, she snatched the cup and boldly downed it in one gulp.


    The priest continued, "There''s no need to worry about it; I think that, more than us, the cultists themselves would be hoping that she''d show up."


    "It''s not up to her."


    ...


    If she really became the lead performer, not only would her dance teacher want her on stage, but the cultists would also be watching her. Both the police and the church would be behind the scenes, pushing for all of it to happen.


    Could she escape it?


    In the vast dance studio, where the lighting was dim, Xu Shuo danced gracefully before therge mirror, a faint smile on her lips, the girl like a pure white swan.


    Then, she suddenly coughed violently a few times.


    "I''m sorry, Teacher, I think I have a serious cold," the girl said, frowning worriedly.


    Not far away, Changying watched her expressionlessly and said sharply, "Qiuzi, I just told you the other day to take good care of your health. Howe it''s getting worse instead?"


    Xu Shuo stopped moving and looked down, her face showing the sense of guilt thates with wrongdoing.


    Herplexion was pale, and under the bright incandescent light, her skin appeared translucent and fragile, evoking a sense of vulnerability that inspired pity in anyone who saw her.


    Changying had been simmering with rage all day and, upon seeing this, took a few deep breaths, saying irritably, "That''s enough for this afternoon''s practice. Go back and rest early!"


    "Yes," the girl replied submissively, her eyes lowered.


    This afternoon, Xu Shuo was the only one dancing again as Xuena was at her usual hospital appointments for checkups and treatments, and Lanruo was nowhere to be found.


    After changing into his regr clothes in the restroom, he saw that Changying had also changed and was now standing at the door with a tense face, her eyes filled with irritation.


    Upon seeing hime out, Changying nced at him and said tly, "Let''s go, I''ll give you a ride home."


    Xu Shuo paused, then smiled and did not refuse, obediently responding, "Thank you, Teacher."


    ...


    The rain outside, changing with time, had started to grow heavier again, pattering as it fell to the ground. The umted water flowed along the streets into the gutters, just like the previous days, with no additional changes on the road.


    Changying also drove. She didn''t ask where Qiuzi lived and seemed quite familiar with the route, taking Xu Shuo directly to her building.


    Then, she parked the car on the roadside, got out with an umbre, and said, "I''ll walk you up."


    The woman''s harsh and rigid face showed no extra expression, but her gaze at the girl had an eerie quality. It was not the look of someone facing a student, but rather like someone appraising their possession, sharp and cold.


    Xu Shuo thanked her again and then obediently led her to his rental home.


    The rusty door lock had to be jiggled several times before opening, unleashing a musty smell as the curtains were gently lifted by the wind, letting in the cold air right to the doorstep.


    The venttion in the alleys of the urban vige was always poor, so Xu Shuo would leave the windows open when he went out, allowing them to air out. If thieves were bold enough, they could try toe in.


    Changying took a casual look around the small, clean room before saying, "You stay at home and rest well, remember to take your medicine. And these past few days there have been a number of missing cases, so you mustn''t go out at night."


    Xu Shuo showed a timely expression of fear and nodded like a pecking chicken, "I know, I definitely won''t go out!"


    Seemingly just out of concern, Changying left after repeatedly telling her to take care.


    Watching the woman''s tall figure stride away like the wind, Xu Shuo curved his lips slightly.


    She''s anxious, she''s anxious.


    ...


    The light rain outside pattered down, while the sky was overcast and gloomy, shrouding the entire city in a haze beneath.


    Changying drove to the roadside, then stopped the car, her ck heels stepping into the puddles as she held an umbre, her whole demeanor stern and intimidating, herplexion even more chillingly dark.


    The small vendors in the urban vige, seeing her formidable approach, didn''t dare to solicit trade.


    Within the dpidated building, her high heels tapped rapidly on the concrete stairs, making a sharp cking sound.


    Changying arrived at the third floor, directly took out the keys from her pocket to unlock the door, and as she pushed it open, was greeted by a foul smell.


    The continuous rain over this period had exacerbated the humidity, and the stench, as if from rotten flesh left unattended for too long, was nearly suffocating.


    After quickly inspecting the small rental, Changying left with a cold face.


    ...


    Without the sun to guide, the day grew dimmer, and street lights along the roads began to shine.


    Early in the evening, the alley was already submerged in darkness, as a woman wearing a cloak, with her head down, arrived at a door.


    After a rhythmic, forceful knocking, a familiar shadow opened the door, staring at her for a good while before asking for the secret password.


    "Swan''s death!"


    The woman firmly dered her identity, then pushed the door and squeezed herself inside.


    Find more chapters on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    The shadow was taken aback by her fiery voice and brash behavior. Following that, the atmosphere in the pitch-ck room grew tense and a cold, thick feeling started to spread.


    But it seemed the woman was oblivious to this shift; she walked to the round table and loudly pped her hand down on it!


    "Bang!"


    The loud noise left the two silhouettes in the dark stunned, and any questions one of them had were choked back by shock.


    After a moment, someone spoke in a hoarse voice, "Swan, what''s the matter with you?"


    "What''s the matter?!" The woman fiercely repeated the question, her tone filled with unrestrained anger, "I just told you yesterday to keep those foolish Necrophages in check!"


    Hearing this, another person realized something was wrong and hurriedly asked, "Has some trouble arisen with the sacrifice?"


    "One of my students is missing, and their home is filled with the stench of flesh and blood, what do you think happened!" the woman said through clenched teeth.


    It was clearly an attack by the Necrophages!


    Another problem with a sacrifice!


    In an instant, the dark room fell silent, with only the spread of a cold, dense qi.

 Chapter 83: Chapter 80: Attack

    Nightfall descended, and the dark tides churned.


    The church, resplendent with stained ss.


    Officer Zhang sat in the break room, frowning slightly as she looked at the new messages from her subordinates.


    The police definitely had more than one stronghold. Since the area under her charge had run into trouble, she had arranged for officers to seek support from other stations. Yet, just within these couple of days, news of attacks hade in one after another.


    As for the church, it was the only such ce in the whole city, and no anomalies had been found there so far.


    Although she had previously suspected that the church might be the hiding spot for that group, well, it seemed unlikely, to say the least.


    At that moment, the priest walked in from outside, saw the worried look on her face, and asked curiously, "What happened now?"


    "There have been quite a few incidents again. And it''s not only young girls who are being targeted now," said Officer Zhang, looking at the file with a furrowed brow. "Men and women, both young and old, there are records of attacks on all of them."


    As she spoke, she turned her head to look at him and then noticed some ck, sticky substance on his white robe that he wore today.


    Officer Zhang''s mouth twitched as she asked in return, "What have you been doing?"


    "I was studying the Necrophage in the detention room," the priest said calmly as he changed out of his contaminated white robe and put on the ck robe from the hanger.


    "Did you find a way to deal with it?" asked Officer Zhang.


    "Holy Water does have quite a significant effect," he replied.


    Hearing this, Officer Zhang thought about the ordinary-looking pond behind the church and pondered out loud, "Have you arranged for someone to guard it?"


    The priest paused for a moment, "No."


    Because there were simply no knights in the church, those believers were actually just ordinary people.


    Officer Zhang shifted her gaze back to the numbers of missing persons in the file. After a moment of silence, she murmured, "What do you think they are trying to do by suddenly attacking ordinary people so madly? Several of our police strongholds have been eroded by the ck fog, but nothing has happened to your church yet. They couldn''t possibly overlook this ce..."


    Even if the ck fog couldn''t reach here, there should be some sort of activity.


    But after she finished speaking, there was no reply for a long while. When she turned to look again, she found that the priest''s figure had long since vanished from behind her.


    Officer Zhang cursed under her breath, quickly put away the files, locked the door of the prayer break room, and hurried towards the church''s backyard.


    ...


    Different from the brightly lit grand hall of prayers, the church''s backyard was also vast but only sparsely lit by streetmps lining both sides of the pathway. The sky was starless, darkness prevailed, and all was eerily quiet.


    In the center of the backyard was a flower bed, which surrounded an open-air pond filled with what was said to be Holy Water.


    There were even goldfish in the pond.


    Who would believe that this ordinary pond was filled with Holy Water?


    Rustle, rustle¡ª


    Behind the church was a small grove, lush and well-nted, but at this moment, the leaves rustled in a dark wind, casting ghostly shadows.


    When Officer Zhang arrived at the backyard, she spotted a figure by the pond. However, her footsteps halted abruptly as she prepared to approach.


    In the small grove, it seemed like a swaying dark shadow was drawing near.


    The backyard''s streetmps began to flicker, but they stabilized in an instant. Under the glow of the golden crucifix atop the church''s spire, the contours of the dark shadows gradually rified.


    It was a crowd of people.


    Or rather, a crowd of Necrophages.


    A ragged group staggered closer, with ghastly green faces and ferocious fangs, their pupils a fiendish pitch-ck, their bodies wrapped in strange ck, sticky substances, emitting a blood-like, putrid stench.


    "What kind of apocalyptic script is this..." Officer Zhang''s mouth twitched as he removed the handgun hanging at his waist.


    From the direction of the pool came the sound of sshing water. As the Necrophages approached, the priest calmly squatted by the edge, one hand submerged, seemingly searching for something.


    Officer Zhang quickly walked over, aimed his handgun at a Necrophage in front of him, and squinted slightly.


    This person, he had just seen them in the new missing persons files, but given the transformation time they analyzed for Necrophages, he shouldn''t have lost his sanity so quickly.


    Indeed, was attacking so many ordinary people suddenly designed to cause trouble for the church?


    Because that strange ck mist couldn''t erode the church, so they let the Necrophagese instead, aiming for... Holy Water?


    Just as he thought of this, a long shadow stretched across the white stone steps, swiftly attacking him under the illumination of the light!


    Officer Zhang noticed the suddenly elongated shadow and immediately dodged to the area directly under the streemp, while her handgun did not hesitate to pull the trigger towards that Necrophage!


    "Bang!"


    The muffled sound of a silenced gunshot rang out, the Necrophage walking in front sagged its head back, dark substance oozing from the prated spot.


    But it didn''t stop its movement.


    Officer Zhang counted the number of peopleing out of the grove, eleven, which was exactly the number of people recently gone missing.


    "Hey, guns don''t work," Officer Zhang said in a low voice.


    "Would it kill you to hold them off for a bit?!" the priest gave her a speechless nce. After all, this guy had managed to deal with Run, so he must have had other methods.


    "Should I have prepared some silver bullets?" Officer Zhang mused to herself, looking at her gun.


    The shadows of the trees swayed, eleven Necrophages emerging from the darkness, slowly approaching the two under the golden radiance, like ghostly figures.


    Officer Zhang stood anxiously and worried under the streemp, her tense expression solemn, while she did nothing.


    As darkness gradually spread towards the pool, the priest finally found what he was searching for in the actually shallow pond and immediately grabbed and flung it out!


    Ssh¡ª


    The pool created waves, the scattered droplets glistening as theynded on the ground, stirring up wisps of mist in the darkness.


    Officer Zhang looked at the object in his hand and pped in a veryplimentary manner, "Wow! So cool!"


    It was a golden Blunt Sword.


    Golden light shed by, and the red, blue, and yellow gems iid on the cross-shaped handle shone brightly, with several diamond-like silver gems arranged on the de, looking extremelyvish.


    In short, it didn''t look like a sword meant forbat at all.


    The priest turned to face a stinking face lunging at him, swung the Holy Sword vigorously, and upon contact with the Necrophage, instantly released a white mist.


    Piercing and mournful screams arose, as shrill as a demon''s roar, dizzying to hear.


    In the next moment, the Necrophage dissipated into a cloud of ck mist.


    Officer Zhang, watching from a distance, raised her eyebrows slightly in amazement as she scrutinized the shy,vish Holy Sword in the priest''s hand.


    Apart from Holy Water, it turns out the church indeed had something up its sleeve.


    But after ying one Necrophage, the luminescence on the de dimmed considerably. The priest immediately immersed the Holy Sword back into the pool, and after a short soak, lifted it, shining brightly once more.


    Then he swung at another Necrophage lunging towards him.


    ...

 Chapter 84: Chapter 81 The Holy Light Shines Upon You

    ```


    The church was bustling all through the night.


    And because of yet another issue with the sacrificial offering, the cultists were furious tonight, and the Dark Envoy responsible for managing the Necrophages was thrown out to lead the charge.


    Although for some reason, carefully nurtured offerings indeed attracted the Necrophages'' consumption more.


    Those creatures crave flesh and blood, and are drawn to human desires,cking self-awareness and acting only on instinct.


    They don''t care whether it is an offering or whether it can be eaten; they bite first and ask questionster.


    Previously, the contaminated Necrophages were almost all left to roam, with the cultists allowing them to wander the city''s dark nights, attacking ordinary humans, adding chaos to the police''s problems.


    Only now, their own corner had been inadvertentlypromised...


    "Damn it, it was always those guys that were never satisfied, demanding the blood of a perfect young girl; otherwise, why would I have gone..."


    In the dark woods, a man shrouded in a cloak lurked in a corner, his sinister eyes intently watching the situation near the church.


    He didn''t dare get close, only managing to remotely control the Necrophages tounch attacks.


    He had searched everywhere for a young girl whose blood would please "Lord ck God" for this ritual sacrifice, and it was by chance that he saw the girl walking alone in the alley that night.


    She had a superior figure, a superior constitution, and everything from her scent to the emotions she emitted was perfect!


    He attacked her then and there!


    But it was only when "ck Dog" was ready to devour the girl that he realized that given her dark qualities, she seemed to be an offering cultivated by "Swan"...


    Ah, what?


    The cultist panicked for a moment, but it was said that "Swan" had nurtured three offerings this time, so discarding one probably shouldn''t be too detrimental.


    But he didn''t dare to bring the girl back, instead, he left her outside, allowing her to transform into a Necrophage on her own.


    And today, the incident happened.


    The only moderately good news was that hispanions thought it was the work of those reckless Necrophages, not realizing that it was he who had identally captured the wrong person.


    And fortunately, the other two offerings hadn''t encountered any issues.


    ...


    In a short building not far from the church.


    Xu Shuo stood on the rooftop terrace, holding an old-fashioned telescope, and was watching the battle over there with great interest.


    Although the cultists feared the holy light of the church, the Necrophages didn''t seem to have this restriction, only suffering heavy damage when attacked by holy water and the holy sword.


    Indeed, it wasn''t a normal world when a church actually had such things...


    This was also why he had previously refused to go to the church with Officer Zhang; after all, his body was still somewhat abnormal, and even though the three of them were now cooperating, there was no guarantee the other side wouldn''t take the opportunity to do something.


    Now, however, seeing that the police and church were not weak, Xu Shuo felt slightly relieved. Continue your saga on m|v-l''e -NovelBin


    At least between the cultists and the church, there should be a bnce of power, and on the day of the ritual, one wouldn''t expect the situation of allies delivering themselves up on a tter.


    After all, the abilities of the Cult Organization "ck Dog" were always too bizarre, and he had to be concerned about this issue.


    Xu Shuo, after watching the priest wielding arge knife for a while with the telescope, moved the lens to scan towards the direction of the small woods; even in the distance darkness, he could see clearly.


    Within the circr frame of the telescope, there seemed to be a figure that was barely visible, hidden behind arge tree, almost merging with the night.


    There was indeed something else.


    For those Necrophages to attack the church so orderly, it was impossible to be just instinct.


    Xu Shuo thought for a moment, put down the telescope, and slipped into the shadows at his feet.


    ```


    When he appeared again, he was closer to the church, and the golden glow from the huge cross above shone down as if illuminating everything.


    Xu Shuo looked around curiously, confirming that it was artificial light. The edges of the cross were embedded with a ring of fine light tubes, rather than some metaphysical phenomena.


    Although the scene below was quite metaphysical at the moment.


    When he got close enough, Xu Shuo faintly heard some strange murmuring voices, with no discernible source, as if something was directly whispering in his mind.


    The voices were disorganized and a bit disturbing.


    Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes and nced in the direction of the grove before stepping back a few paces.


    The murmuring voice lightened somewhat until he retreated a few more meters and the feeling of thought intrusion finally disappeared.


    He appeared on the nearby rooftop, picked up binocrs to survey the direction of the grove, and estimated the straight-line distance to be about fifty meters or so.


    This was the distance from which the cultists controlled the Necrophages.


    Well, next he could try gettingpletely close again to see if his mind wouldpletely lose control.


    Thinking this, Xu Shuo was about to make his way over when, after sneaking a short distance towards the grove and before he could fully savor the whispers in his mind, he noticed a shadow move in the dark¡­


    The cultist ran away!


    Xu Shuo was taken aback, turned his head toward the church, and saw that the priest had finished off the sessive Necrophages.


    Perhaps, for this very reason, the person who had been controlling the Necrophages chose to leave quickly.


    After all, his troops were gone.


    Xu Shuo stood there, silent for a while: "..."


    Useless cultists, so pathetic!


    ...


    "These creatures are really tenacious, aren''t they?"


    The priest sat on the edge of the flowerbed, shaking off the ck viscous substance from his body. His new robe had been contaminated once again in the blink of an eye.


    The Holy Sword in his hand, however, still shone gloriously, its embedded gems and diamonds sparkling under the light. The Holy Water used for rinsing the sword had no trace of contamination.


    The nts in the flowerbed were now wilting and rotting away, giving off bursts of strange foul smell.


    Officer Zhang walked over, crushed the oil-like viscous substance on the ground with the tip of her boot, and said leisurely, "Your thing is quite impressive, it directly turns those Necrophages to ash."


    As for the ck viscous substance, it was something that sprayed out from the Necrophages, seemingly very corrosive when it first appeared.


    The disheveled priest looked up at her with a calm tone, "Did you enjoy the show just now?"


    "I couldn''t do much either. Bullets don''t work on them, and their ability to sneak attack from the shadows in the dark is really troublesome," Officer Zhang sighed, then continued, "But I''ve thought about it, and I''m going to have my men prepare some strong lights!"


    "Strong lights could indeed work," said the priest, still with an indifferent expression.


    Seeing this, Officer Zhang approached with a smile, "Come on, don''t be angry, I also need to understand the strength of my allies, right?


    "After all, our police, to put it bluntly, can only assist and gather information when faced with these weird creatures, we really can''t outfight them.


    "How about you soak my bullets in Holy Water?"


    As they spoke, both paused.


    Officer Zhang had just mentioned it offhandedly, but upon thinking it over carefully, it seemed like a good idea, right?


    At worst, after soaking them in Holy Water, the priest could pray over them, right?


    There''s no harm in trying!

 Chapter 85: Chapter 82: The Flavor of Green Tea

    The feasibility of enchanting the bullets can be discussedter. For tonight, the reason behind the sudden attack by the cultists might need to be addressed first.


    Although this abrupt onught seems to have ended, who knows if there will be more? After all, they can''t possibly stay at the Holy Water Pool all night.


    The nighttime rain washed over the ck viscous substance on the ground, and the rustling of the little woods filled the air without any other disturbances.


    But this attack was truly too strange.


    Neither person dared to venture casually into the darkness. After a while, Officer Zhang frowned and said, "That should be all the people who have gone missing in the city thesest few days. Previously, the missing were all young girls. They appeared at first, but now, there''s no sign of them."


    At that moment, the priest seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, "With so many people missing, haven''t the police considered asking for outside assistance?"


    On hearing this, Officer Zhang''s expression turned very peculiar. She spoke slowly. "Actually, right after the precinct had issues, I had someone report the situation here truthfully, but there hasn''t been any response."


    Logically, it shouldn''t be like this, yet now this city seems to be in istion, as if it''s been cut off from the outside world.


    Immediately, the priest''s expression also turned subtlyplex.


    Indeed, this wouldn''t be the case in reality, but here, it may be because the script is limited to this city, and the resources they could utilize were only within the city.


    For a moment, both fell into silence.


    Officer Zhang raised her hand to smooth her wet hair and said, "I''ll have a few subordinatese over to keep watch. Otherwise, if we really spend the whole night here, we won''t have enough energy during the day."


    Especially now, as the ritual is approaching, one can''t rule out that the enemy might want to wear them down.


    The priest quickly added, "Then remember to have them bring a few floodlights."


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    Are they really bringing them?


    The floodlights would only gather one''s shadow to the few square inches under their feet, and couldn''t entirely prevent the encroachment of darkness. At best, it could make them a bit less apprehensive.


    But for now, a little means is better than none.


    "These Necrophages are probably being controlled by someone. If that''s the case, I''ll make sure to set up lights in that little woods behind us as well," Officer Zhang said.


    "That would be good."


    "What''s with the grove of trees you all nted in the back yard anyway?"


    "Man and nature," the priest replied, sinct.


    Officer Zhang rolled her eyes and teased, "You should be grateful that those cultists seem to be wary of something in your church. Otherwise, it would have been eroded by the ck mist just like our precinct, and not just some tools sent over."


    The priest smiled slightly. "Those things move in the dark, like sewer rats. When they encounter the holy light, they naturally scatter and flee."


    The church didn''t really have anything particrly powerful; it was just a focal point of faith.


    Whether it''s the Holy Water used to raise goldfish or the Holy Sword thaty submerged below, both had once gathered the power of faith from all beings.


    All beings ultimately yearn for the light.


    ...


    ...


    In the morning, a light drizzle began to fall again.


    Inside the cramped rental house, a gentle breeze wafted through.


    Xu Shuo spent over three hours at the vanity table, and only when the sky brightened did he finally aplish the innocent and fragile Little White Flower makeup look, following a beauty blogger''s video tutorial.


    With just a slight furrow of his brow, he looked pitiable and innocent, without a hint of a darkened appearance.


    Beauty bloggers are truly masters of disguise!


    For the first time in his life, he was doing ballet and dressing in drag, and the hardships were self-evident.


    Xu Shuo changed into the little white dress he had prepared the day before yesterday and then set out with his umbre.


    The dance studio was, as always, the first ce he punched the clock, and the usually silent sixth floor seemed even colder and gloomier than before. The security desk next to the elevator was empty; it seemed the security guard may no longer have the chance to return to work.


    Xu Shuo put on his white tulle ballet dress and posed in front of therge floor-to-ceiling mirror, appearing to be preparing for something.


    At that moment, the slightly ajar door was pushed open. Xuena peeked in from outside and, after making sure Qiuzi had arrived for practice, entered the room with peace of mind.


    If Qiuzi had really bailed today, she would have definitely had to... rethink her strategy!


    "Good morning."


    Xuena greeted calmly while stealthily sizing up the girl. She felt something was off about her today; the look in the eyes of her reflection seemed strange, and her smile was even more sinister.


    Wrong, the girl''s sinisterness has always been the same, impervious to makeup!


    ...Makeup?


    She wore makeup today?


    Girls are probably naturally sensitive to such changes. After changing into her dance clothes, Xuena took a moment to study Qiuzi and realized that her makeup looked pretty good today.


    It just reeked of a cunning little n.


    "Xuena, do I look good today?" Xu Shuo smiled with pursed lips, the red makeup at the corners of her eyes making her look exceedingly innocent.


    "Yes, you look nice, but..." Xuena furrowed her brow slightly, not quite understanding what he was up to.


    "Do I resemble a pure and innocent swan?" Xu Shuo spun around and asked again.


    "Not only do you resemble one, but you''re also quite the green tea girl."


    Xuena couldn''t help but make a snarkyment.


    A few days ago, although Qiuzi''s dancing was as noble and elegant as that of a pristine swan princess, she was altogether normal, even capable of effortlessly transitioning to the passion and fervor of the ck Swan.


    But now, with this crafty makeup and deliberately downcast eyes¡ªshe was all about the stealthy maniption!


    Wait a second!


    This thought crossed Xuena''s mind when she suddenly realized something!


    Today''s Qiuzi was acting just too pure...


    Her naturally pale and delicate skin made her seem sickly fragile, like a porcin doll that would shatter at the slightest touch, and the white ballet dress highlighted her angelic purity even further.


    Such a pose, Changying would certainly not like.


    Because no matter how one acted, they couldn''t possibly bring out the ck Swan''s insane desire and passion!


    Xuena quickly nced at the door and then whispered to her, "Are you nning to stir the pot today, isn''t thepetition tomorrow?"


    "So what if I give Changying a heads-up today?" Xu Shuo said innocently.


    "Can you stop ying dumb!" Xuena gritted her teeth and said, "If you act like this now, Changying will definitely sense something is off, especially since your performance was perfect just a couple of days ago!"


    "Xuena, do you read romance novels?" Xu Shuo suddenly blurted out.


    "What... novels?" Caught off guard by the question, Xuena was choked up.


    With an intense gaze, Xu Shuo abruptly grabbed her hand, curved up his lips into a smile and said, "Xuena, what are you doing? We agreed on a fairpetition; how can you threaten me?"


    Xuena was utterly bewildered, "What?"


    Before she could grasp the situation, the seemingly fragile girl in front of her suddenly copsed as though she had rehearsed it countless times with impable skill, even twisting her foot before falling with a thud onto the slick floor.


    Qiuzi looked up, pitifully.


    Just then, there was a noise at the door, and both turned their heads to see Changying, who, unbeknownst to them, had been standing there with an impassive face.


    Xuena: "???" WTF...?

 Chapter 86: Chapter 83: The Kind Me Decides to Give in

    The pure maiden was like an angel lost in the human world, with an innocence originating from deep within the soul, untouched by even a shadow of darkness, holy and dazzling.


    They were the light walking in darkness.


    But this light, once tainted with filth, would in an instant fall into the deepest of darkness, just like the ancient cmity that drank the blood of the gods and became a forbidden existence.


    Thus, they were the perfect vessels.


    ...


    Now in front of her, the White Swan remained as naive and pure as ever, even after being tormented by the curse for thousands of years; she hadn''t changed in the story.


    And if this story were to split the parts as usual, there would now be a need for a ck Swan, sullied and defiled, to contrast with the White Swan''s sanctity and elegance, all the while seducing the covetous prince to steal the spotlight of the story.


    This was the climax of the entire story, where no faults could be tolerated!


    The footsteps behind her gradually drew near.


    Xuena took a deep breath, ring fiercely at the little "green tea" who had fallen before her.


    Afterward, her eyes took on the madness and darkness as she sneered, "Qiuzi, just give up! When ites to dancing, you can''t beat me!"


    Xu Shuo tilted his head slightly, eyebrow raised in some surprise.


    The little girl''s improvisational reaction was not bad at all.


    In the span of that moment, she had thought everything through, even going so far as to walk down the path of transformation.


    Xuena''s face became vicious, and she fiercely stepped forward to grab the girl''s slender neck, but at that moment she was startled by the coldness in her hand, and immediately after, a stern voice shouting "Stop!" came from behind her.


    She was as if scared by the voice, and under Xu Shuo''s secretly mocking gaze, she quickly released her grip and staggered back a few steps in panic.


    Changying quickly stepped forward; she looked at Qiuzi, who was pitiful on the ground, and then at Xuena, who was visibly disturbed.


    She asked coldly with a stern face, "What are you doing?"


    Before Xuena could speak, the girl hastily scrambled to her feet and said, "Nothing, I just fell by myself, Xuena was just trying to help me up!"


    Xuena: "..."


    Changying''s piercing gaze turned towards her, pressing on with her questioning, "Are you sure you did nothing?"


    Xu Shuo''s eyes darted away as he hesitated to say, "Teacher, you must be mistaken. I just fell while dancing. Xuena really didn''t do anything. She just really wants to participate in the performance..."


    Xuena: "..."


    You really have mastered the essence of "green tea"!


    You must be a little "green tea" in real life, too!


    She took a deep breath, maintaining her persona, menacingly glowering at him as if she were genuinely angry.


    Watching Qiuzi continually making excuses for Xuena, Changying''s gaze gradually became somewhat strange.


    After a while, she motioned for Xuena to move aside, then strategically ced herself between the two to obstruct their eye contact.


    "Are you okay with your foot?"


    Changying, noticing something off with her expression, saw her supporting her body on her left foot with the help of a mirror, gently tiptoeing on her right, seemingly afraid to put weight on it.


    Xu Shuo frowned, speaking sulkily, "It seems I''ve twisted it, it hurts a little..."


    Changying let out a coldugh out of frustration.


    At this point, with the sacrifices facing continuous problems, there was nothing left she wanted to say.


    "Go rest over there by yourself," Changying said indifferently.


    "Alright..."


    Xu Shuo bit his teeth, carefully shuffling towards the resting room while supporting himself against the wall. His trembling frame looked to be in pain, and he could no longer walk normally.


    When Xuena saw him like this, she couldn''t help butugh out loud, then was met with a cold stare from Changying.


    She immediately dropped the schadenfreude from her face, adopting the look of someone who had done something wrong, but her eyes, full of excitement and determination, were not concealed in the slightest.


    ...


    That morning, the one who received serious coaching from Changying was Xuena.


    She danced more earnestly than anyone else, as if the hidden injuries on her feet didn''t exist. Her ck ballet outfit, shimmering under the lights, showed her unrestrained and bold dance moves in a truly stunning disy.


    Possibly because she had sabotaged herstpetitor, the happy smile on her face became somewhat weird and twisted, filled with a bewildering seductiveness.


    In the resting room, the girl sat with her legs crossed, staring nkly at the girl spinning in the center, seeming quite forlorn.


    Changying couldn''t stand to see her like this and was frustrated with her!


    "Don''t you want to try again? Xuena is fighting so bravely for it, don''t you want to?" Changying stared at her intensely, her sharp gaze as terrifying as a wild beast''s.


    "Xuena dances indeed better than I do..." Xu Shuo whispered.


    "This opportunity to perform on stage is once in a lifetime; I managed to secure this chance for you with great difficulty. Perform well, and you won''t have to worry about fame and wealth in the future!" Changying spoke in a low voice, "Are you really willing to yield to her?"


    The backgrounds of these girls were not wealthy; in fact, they were quite strained. Changying knew their circumstances like the back of her hand.


    So, when the news was first announced, the girls were overly excited, each dreaming of dancing their way into the sky and bing a true Swan Princess.


    In the end, only three were left¡ªeach one had remained through countless hours of sweat and hard work.


    Especially Qiuzi, who was thest to leave from practice every day: how could she possibly give up now? Changying truly wondered.


    The girl had such fine qualities. If only Changying could stir the darkness and desire in her heart, then this sacrifice would undoubtedly be foolproof!


    However, Xu Shuo gazed at her, his expression saddening: "I''m wondering if it''s because I argued with Lanruo over this matter that she became angry and stopped talking to me, even now she''s noting back... They are my very good friends; I don''t want to fight anymore."


    Changying: "...??"


    Just... because of this?


    You can still be so kind?!


    Then, Xu Shuo nced at the girl dancing on the other side, with encouragement and relief in his eyes, and continued, "Since Lanruo isn''t talking to me, the only friend I have left in this city is Xuena. Since Xuena wants to perform, let her do it; as long as she doesn''t cut ties with me!"


    Changying: "??"


    She always knew that Qiuzi and Lanruo were very good friends. They came to this city together to study and were, by no stretch, indispensable to each other.


    But even with that, in the previouspetitions, didn''t the two still strive with all their might to push each other down?


    Now, you''re telling me you''ve started to treasure friendship?


    Changying looked at her oddly, but saw a face full of sincerity, eyes trustfully fixed on Xuena, who was dancing.


    It''s understandable for a girl who came to a strange city to live alone¡ªnot wanting to lose the only friend she could really talk to¡ªbut this...


    This is beyond reproach!


    Is it because Lanruo isn''t here anymore that you''ve changed your mind?


    No wonder, previously you danced so bewitchingly, as if you had found the essence of darkness, yet now overnight you''ve lost all interest, is it because you no longer wish topete?


    Changying sternly doubted her life''s choices.


    No, Qiuzi''s potential must not be wasted!

 Chapter 87: Chapter 84 A Big Surprise

    The afternoon practice continued.


    Today, Xuena didn''t go to the hospital, and Changying never left their side. After casually settling for lunch in the downstairs restaurant, the three of them returned to the dance studio.


    Along the way, Qiuzi kept trying to strike up a conversation with Xuena, but Xuena consistently gave her the cold shoulder, even asionally responding with a snideugh.


    But the girl was tireless, persistently and one-sidedly cheering her on.


    It was so disheartening that Changying lost her appetite for food.


    And Xuena, constantly harassed by the insincere ttery and feeling like she was being coerced, was also gritting her teeth in displeasure.


    Conveniently, Shuo hadn''t been able to eat his medium-rare steak today, and his immense craving left him extremely irritable, not minding sickening the two of them with his mood.


    If he couldn''t enjoy his meal, then no one else should either!


    Shuo didn''t go to the hospital to treat his foot injury, and Changying never mentioned it,


    so while the two outside were practicing their dance, he sat in the rest room, asionally looking on with envy, then burying his head in his phone.


    ...


    Qiuzi: [There''s a big surprise tonight!]


    The message received by Officer Zhang: "???"


    She was stunned for a moment, then her expression turned stern as she inquired carefully again, but waiting a good while with no response stirred some worry that something might have happened on the other end.


    A big surprise? What kind of thing would be a big surprise?


    When the priest returned covered in the ck sticky substance, he saw Officer Zhang looking very solemn, as if something very bad had happened.


    "What''s happened?" he asked.


    "Qiuzi seems to be nning something, but there''s no response now," said Officer Zhang, rying the content of the message.


    The priest remained calm: "Oh, is that all?"


    "Furthermore¡ª" Officer Zhang didn''t mind his reaction and handed over new information from her subordinates, her expression growing more serious as she spoke in a low tone, "The number of ordinary people missingst night has increased again, and the fear in the city is almost reaching its peak. We can''t suppress it."


    "That''s probably what they''re nning on," the priest said offhandedly, looking over the information. But when he saw the number of missing people, his expression changed.


    That''s a bit much...


    You have to understand, those people could all turn into Necrophages that are very likely there to target them.


    "By the way, although the bullets'' modification effect wasn''t as good as expected, they can still be used. Just fire more shots to stack up the damage," the priest said, pulling out several bullets coated in the dark sticky substance.


    Therefore, the Necrophage locked up in the small, ck room was finally killed.


    After all, to test the power of bullets soaked in Holy Water, they really had to be shot to death.


    "Attacking other body parts results in burn damage, but it''s not fatal. You have to aim for the head, about five or six shots should be enough to kill a Necrophagepletely," said the priest, sharing the results of the experiments.


    Hearing this, Officer Zhang was somewhat speechless: "Even without Enchantment, five or six shots to the head should blow it up..."


    The priest casually shook his head: "Those things don''t have the ability to think; even if you blow their heads off, they can still move. What we really need to destroy is the thing that controls them here."


    He looked intently at Officer Zhang and pointed to his own head, emphasizing each word.


    Officer Zhang''s expression turned momentarily ufortable.


    This situation couldn''t linger for long, because if it did, their minds would start to be affected by inexplicable influences, leading toplete chaos.


    Looking at the message on her phone, Officer Zhang suddenly said, "Let''s get ready for tonight; we might have to take action too."


    Upon hearing this, the priest let out an odd snicker: "You really do trust her."


    "It''s not about trust," Officer Zhang said with a detached expression, "It''s just mutual exploitation. We know that each of us has goals to achieve."


    And that goal was the temporary thread holding their cooperative rtionship together.


    ...


    ...


    Dusk fell.


    Xuena''s face didn''t look too good.


    Sitting next to her, Qiuzi still seemed naively pure, leaning against the car window and gazing at the neon-lit streets outside. She gratefully said, "Changying, thank you for dropping me home again!"


    The driver, Changying, focused on the road ahead, merely responding faintly to her words.


    After practice ended and the downpour became too heavy, Changying insisted on driving them home in an assertive tone, and Qiuzi naturally agreed straight away.


    Xuena couldn''t refuse either.


    Now they had been driving on the road for some time, and the route was both familiar and unfamiliar... Your next read is at m v|l-e''-NovelBin


    With the rain, the windows weren''t opened, so a stifling, oppressive air seemed to fill the car.


    Raindrops pattered against the windows, their multitude of sounds like countless hands knocking from outside. Through the rain-blurred windows, only darkness was visible, sporadically pierced by neon lights.


    Xuena''s head hung low, her hands clenched tightly on her knees, her facial expression giving no clue as to her thoughts.


    Xu Shuo tried making conversation to break the silence, but soon seemed to realize neither of them was in the mood for talking, so she stopped her relentless chatter and boredly took out her phone to y with.


    After ying for a while, she suddenly yawned and then leaned against the window, starting to doze off.


    Beside her, Xuena: "..."


    Her fingers trembled slightly with tension, as she struggled to control her facial expression, avoiding any abnormality. Her eyes betrayed an internal struggle, as she silently cursed the green tea b*tch sitting next to her over and over again!


    After a while, she seemed toe to some realization, bit her lip, and closed her eyes, leaning back in defeat against the rear seat.


    The car moved steadily through the rainy night; the back seat plunged into dead silence, and Changying, who was driving, remained unresponsive, her face expressionless as she continued to stare ahead.


    The rain grew heavier and heavier, the wind howled, and rain beat down fiercely on the darkened city.


    After circling around for quite some time, the car, its headlights off, finally stopped at the entrance to a pitch-ck alley, blending perfectly with the night.


    Changying opened the car door, covering herself with a ck cloak that she wasn''t wearing before, the hood shrouding half of her face.


    She walked to the back seat, opened the door, and lifted a girl in a white dress out of the car.


    The pouring rain hit her, trickling down the girl''s pallid cheeks, water droplets clinging to her clear skin, creating a haunting, shattered beauty.


    Changying, with her head bowed, paused, casually pulled the cloak over the girl, and then covered her with it.


    Without attending to the other person still asleep in the car, Changying stepped through the streaming puddles and carried the girl toward the tightly closed iron gate. She knocked rhythmically a few times, and the door automatically opened into dense darkness.


    Changying disappeared into the darkness, and the metal door closed silently behind her.


    The torrential rain thundered on the roof, countless hands appeared to be frantically beating against the windows, their muffled sounds oppressively intense.


    In the ck car parked on the roadside, Xuena, who had been sleeping on the seat, suddenly opened her eyes, panting rapidly, as she began to struggle once again.


    Leave now or stay and take a gamble?


    To leave might mean mission failure; to stay was to face life-threatening danger and those ghostly entities!


    Damn that green tea b*tch!


    Xuena cursed in her mind once more.

 Chapter 88: Chapter 85 Action

    The rain tonight was particrly mournful, with thunderclouds rolling as the downpour pattered relentlessly on roofs, window sills, and car hoods.


    Xuenay quietly, having gone from spewing all kinds of swear words in her mind to serene indifference, even finding the leisure to wonder why Changying had been gone for so long without returning, and whether that little vixen was still alive?


    This was the craziest person she had ever seen, using herself as bait; wasn''t she afraid of truly crashing?


    Yet now, Xuena had no choice but to take that gamble herself.


    Xuena turned over, facing sideways to the front seat, and stared at the pitch-ck leather backrest before silently heaving a sigh.


    Qiuzi hadn''t disappeared today, but she still let Changying ce the only chip on her, even beginning to act tonight, intending to secure control over her, the "sacrifice" that had been confirmed.


    But the true moment would be tomorrow.


    So the mission was far fromplete.


    ...


    The dense sound of raindrops came muffled, instilling a cold and dark feeling in the shadows.


    Xuena, who was daydreaming, abruptly closed her eyes; shortly after, the volume of the rain intensified, its noisy patter filling her ears, apanied by the damp scent, and a bone-chilling coldness that swept through her entire body with the rain and wind.


    Suppressing the instinctive shiver of her body was a particrly difficult feat, but Xuena truly managed to hold it back.


    No one realized she was awake.


    Xuena was acutely aware of something like tentacles slithering over her body, caressing the spine pressed against the seat, gradually covering her entire being.


    "This sacrifice is very good."


    A hoarse and piercing voice rose slowly, eerily like nails scraping across ss¡ªchilling and terrifying, Xuena had to fight hard to suppress the goosebumps rising on her skin.


    She also needed to suppress her own fear; she had to be confident that, before tomorrow morning, she would be absolutely safe!


    So no matter what, she couldn''t expose herself now!


    No other sounds came after that; Xuena felt raindrops on her skin, and then, amidst a sensation of sinking and floating, she fell into a cold and dark ce.


    From beginning to end, she dared not open her eyes.


    ...


    ...


    The night was deep, and the torrential rain showed no mercy as itshed the city, with neon lights flickering on and off through the curtain of rain.


    Several cars parked silently by the street, their soft footsteps masked by the heavy rain, as the umted water on the ground trickled down the stone steps.


    Despite the heavy rain, there was no sign of the streets flooding, which might speak to the city''s well-constructed drainage system.


    The sky was weighed down by pitch-ck clouds, with no sh of lightning, only the dull sound of rain.


    "It''s already three in the morning, and the rain is still so heavy; can it really clear up by tomorrow morning?"


    Sitting in the car waiting, Officer Zhang looked at the pounding rain outside and then at the time, expressing his doubts aloud.


    The priest beside him flipped through a booklet with twisted text and said, "That''s uncertain; maybe they don''t need it to clear at all and will just swallow the sun even through the rain."


    "Does it rain during a sr eclipse?" Officer Zhang asked.


    "I''m not an astronomer."


    "..."


    The car fell silent again. Officer Zhang was merely feeling bored during the wait and couldn''t help trying to find some topic of conversation.


    The priest was dismissive, so Officer Zhang began to inquire about the deployment of his subordinates instead.


    After the police were attacked, the remaining personnel had been arranged at other temporary strongholds, keeping an eye on the city''s movements throughout this period, but no matter how hard they searched, they couldn''t find where those cultists were hiding.


    Not until today when Qiuzi sent over the location information.


    However, since the ritual was scheduled for tomorrow, they hadn''t moved in yet to avoid spooking the quarry.


    "Xuena hasn''t run away." ncing at the received messages, Officer Zhang raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.


    "Their teacher will make a move on them tonight, probably because Qiuzi did something to confirm their ''sacrificial'' status," said the priest indifferently. "It saves us the trouble of doing anything."


    After all, Xuena was supposed to be the sacrifice, and if she really escaped, no one would let her off the hook.


    She couldn''t leave the city either.


    Officer Zhang thought of something and said in a low voice, "Qiuzi was taken in, too."


    "How pitiful," the priest replied nomittally.


    "..."


    The atmosphere turned tense again.


    Officer Zhang was seated in the driver''s seat, her head leaning against the window, staring through the misty ss at the sky outside.


    The dark clouds rolled heavily, the storm and fierce wind as if the heavens were raging.


    She kept staring with idle determination.


    Time flowed by unnoticed, thick and slow, imperceptible.


    The car was extremely quiet, with only the dull sound of raindrops hitting it.


    After god knows how long, the priest who was reading a book of prayers suddenly tilted his head slightly, looking at the water droplets streaming down the window.


    Then, he rolled down the window.


    The cold air from outside poured into the car, and Officer Zhang, who had been daydreaming, snapped back to reality, somewhat bewildered, and looked towards the dark blue sky, where at the edge of the blue, a faint white was rising.


    "Is it about to dawn?"


    "You didn''t fall asleep, did you?" the priest asked rhetorically, somewhat speechlessly.


    "No, that''s not it," Officer Zhang replied as she wiped her face and checked her phone for messages.


    They had been lying in wait in the heavy rain all night, but there was no sign of movement from the surveilled iron gate, and the police officers staked out in various spots hadn''t made a move, patiently waiting for dawn.


    Officer Zhang squinted out the window and stepped out of the car without hesitation, looking up at the sky.


    The rain had stopped.


    It had indeed stopped!


    "We can''t wait any longer; there''s only half an hour left. I''ll have someone go and check the situation first," Officer Zhang said as she took a long breath.


    She didn''t wait for a response from the priest andmanded through themunication headset, getting people nearby to start moving.


    "Pay attention to the rhythm of the knocking, three long and three short," Officer Zhang said seriously. "The moment someone opens the door, no matter who it is, break in directly, and if no one opens the door after a long time, force your way in!"


    The team responded to the order swiftly. In the dim light of dawn, several figures in navy-blue uniforms trudged through puddles, moving through the alleys.


    "You really are reckless," the priest remarked with a hint of resignation, stepping out of the car and taking the ornate, well-wrapped sword from the back seat.


    Officer Zhang ignored him. As her subordinates approached the iron gate in the alley, she checked her equipment and also made her way over.


    Moving at night was a disadvantage for them, so they had waited until now.


    But if the other side chose to start the sacrificial ritual at dawn, the situation would still be unfavorable for them.


    Thus, before the break of dawn was the best time to act!


    Well-trained personnel encircled the target from both sides of the alley, and several police officers ready for action on the rooftops surrounded the small t-roofed building in the midst.


    As Officer Zhang approached, the point person had already tiptoed carefully to the rusted iron door and knocked.


    Three long, three short, with the rhythmpleted quickly.


    But after a long wait, there was no sign of life from inside, as silent and oppressive as the still night.


    Officer Zhang gave a wave of her hand.


    Breach and rush in directly!

 Chapter 89: Chapter 86 Before the Dawn

    The rusted iron gate had no real defensive strength, and the police officer charged with breaking it down had only rammed it twice before stumbling and falling in.


    A musty odor filled the room, as if something had been sealed inside and gradually fermented and decayed into a pungent stench.


    Once the iron door was opened, several strong lights immediately shone in, illuminating the entire modestly-sized interior so that nothing could escape notice.


    Arge ck round table, surrounded by a few decayed wooden chairs.


    Apart from that, there was nothing else.


    Officer Zhang stood at the door and looked inside, his brow furrowed slightly, "Search!"


    With nothing inside, the search was clearly not for people but for secret passages or items that might have been left behind.


    The priest, holding something wrapped in white cloth, stepped forward for a closer look and remarked, "This is just a temporary stronghold, with a ritual looming they must have been well prepared."


    Everything including the table, chairs, and walls were painted in ck, and the floor was smeared with a strange ck viscous substance, the smell of which was nauseating.


    Officer Zhang, with brows furrowed, remained silent as he stepped forward and wiped the table, finding some dark liquid on the shiny ck surface.


    The viscous substance stuck to his gloves; that was the source of the foul odor.


    Wherever those things had lingered, there was this petroleum-like ck viscous residue. At the very least, Qiuzi must not have been deceiving her on this point.


    But they had been lurking nearby all night on surveince, and had there been any movement, it would have been impossible for them not to notice it.


    Not even a shadow had changed.


    "Sir, there is no secret passage nor any other anomalies," a police officer reported afterpleting the search of the room.


    "Understood, you all go out first, I''ll have another look,"


    Officer Zhang waved them away, and with all the officers gone, the room suddenly felt more spacious.


    Outside, the sound of rain and howling wind had stopped, the night before dawn silent and pitch ck.


    The strong lights made this small bungalow exceptionally bright, shining like a mini sun. The two figures inside stood with their backs to the lights, exchanging nces.


    The priest raised an eyebrow and shook his head slightly.


    He was never in favor of risking oneself; those things moved freely in darkness and were powerful. Truly confining oneself in this room would be like trapping oneself in a cocoon!


    Officer Zhang''s gaze was sharp as he spoke softly, "Then do you have any other ideas? We can''t locate those people at all now; the only clue lies here."


    The priest considered, "How about, first, we throw someone in here to stay in the darkness and see?"


    If that officer came out unscathed, they would proceed in the same manner.


    Officer Zhang''s lips twitched, his expression hesitant and struggling, but he finally gritted his teeth and declined, "No! They''re my brothers; I can''t use them as guinea pigs and send them to their deaths!"


    What''s more important was the potential of shattering his image!


    "No, they bravely risk their lives for the safety of the public!" the priest asserted earnestly.


    "..."


    Officer Zhang swallowed hard, and she could not lie, she was somewhat tempted.


    After all, standing around in this barren room wasn''t solving anything, and since the priest was unwilling to join her in trying, she did not fancy herself as the sacrificial scout.


    Finally, Officer Zhang turned her head, her gaze enigmatic as she looked toward a subordinate outside the door.


    ...


    ...


    A torrential rain had fallen all night.


    But the forestcked the fresh smell of wet earth, offering only an antiquated rot like the stench from a sewer, with a thick and sinister ck substance flowing through the ruins.


    Messy and noisy whispers arose by his side, attempting to invade his mind and upy his consciousness, exuding malice that made one shiver unconsciously.


    His head felt a bit swollen with pain, his thoughts a bit restless, but he had not lost control.


    Xu Shuo, finding it quite boring to lie there, quietly opened his eyes and pretended to gaze at the situation over there.


    This was an abandoned enclosure in the forest, like a building that had not yet beenpleted, with broken walls and ruins scattered about, overgrown with moss.


    Hey on the damp ground, just in the corner of the wall, where a triangr stone b shielded him fromst night''s torrential rain.


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    But his body was still wet, and beside himy several young girls, eyes tightly shut, chests motionless as if they had lost their breath, yet they did not quite resemble the Necrophages.


    Their skin looked much healthier than that of the Necrophages.


    In the hall of the ruins, several figures merged with the darkness, their outlines barely visible, circled together, hands raised high, seemingly constantly chanting something.


    The whispers Xu Shuo heard came from over there, the harsh and sharp voices incessantly babbling in his head, yet he could never make out what exactly they were saying, which annoyed him enough to want to go over and kill all those babbling people.


    That would bring some peace and quiet.


    But not now.


    So he could only keep a close watch on that side.


    The downpour had stopped abruptly a moment ago, the dark clouds fromst night had receded, and the sky showed a glimmer of dawn, as if the weather was on the verge of clearing up.


    The chanting group was utterly mesmerized.


    The darkness was utterly silent, with the scent of decay wafting about, a sticky and slow breath brushing across the entire ruins.


    After watching bored for a while, Xu Shuo''s body suddenly began to sink downward, the darkness enveloping him as he gradually descended into a marsh, so slowly it seemed as if time hade to a standstill.


    Gradually, the girl in the corner was unknowingly submerged into the ground.


    She disappeared into the darkness without a sound.


    Afar from the ruins, Xu Shuo emerged from the shadow under a tree, looking at the cultists still chanting nearby, beginning to feel bored by it all.


    They hadn''t noticed his movements.


    Was it because there was no difference between his qi and that of the Necrophages?


    When Xuena eavesdropped on the scene, she was discovered by the darkness of the other party in just a short while.


    That thing was not in human form; it merged with the darkness as naturally as a person breathing, only bringing a dense and oppressive sensation to the surrounding air.


    Just like when the entity within him came out seeking something, you felt it touching and caressing you, but in fact, when you reached out, it was just air.


    It all originated from the cognitions in one''s own mind.


    When that thing finally tookplete hold of your thoughts, it probably meant losing control.


    But he felt he could hold on much longer.


    Xu Shuo raised his hand, and a petrol-like ck liquid flowed down from his fingertips, over his pale, ashen skin, merging into the shadow at his feet.


    Suddenly, a shaft of light shot through from the eastern horizon.


    The morning sun, dull yet splendid, stained the edge of the sky with the hues of dawn and gradually spread into the twilight of the sky.


    Sunrise.


    The dull light began to dispel some of the darkness that pervaded the ruins, and those figures gradually became clearer, standing like reapers in their ck cloaks by the side of a pool.


    The thing they were encircling turned out to be a round pool, but it was dry inside, devoid of anything.


    At this moment, a cultist turned around and walked toward the neatly lying girls.

 Chapter 90: Chapter 87 The Child Chosen by the Gods

    In the ruins of dawn, even bathed in light, the cold and damp thickness could not be altered.


    The dark, viscous matter flowed along the ground, and beneath the inky cloak, the woman''s eyes were emotionless, staring intently at the empty spot in the corner.


    "What''s wrong?"


    After a moment beside the dried-up pool, the person waiting for the yet-to-arrive sacrificial offering cocked his head slightly, his gray-green face stiff and icy.


    The woman lowered her head and said softly, "It''s nothing."


    The spreading ck viscous substance enveloped the girls, binding them like tentacles, and then dragged the thirteen girls onto the tform near the ruins, arranging them neatly.


    The girls'' wrists extended on their own, the ckness tore open their fragile veins, and the fresh red blood trickled down.


    Even though they had been dead for some time, their blood remained fresh and thick.


    The red liquid slowly converged along the channels at the top of the tform, like the gutters after a rainstorm, surging towards the dried-up pool in the center of the ruins.


    The rich scent of blood spread in the darkness, the nine robed figures trembling violently around the pool, uttering hoarse, suppressed sounds¡ªsounds of excitement, as if enduring something tremendous.


    All of a sudden, they raised their hands high and shouted iprehensible words towards the gradually brightening sky.


    In the woods not far from the ruins.


    Xu Shuo smelled the blood and an odd impulse surged up from inside him.


    Looking at the robed figures, he suddenly felt the urge to join their cheers, but even more so, he wanted to taste the fresh blood in that pool.


    The chaotic whispers in his mind kept amplifying, like the buzzing of an old television set right by his ear, annoying and irritating.


    At that moment, his gaze towards the ruins suddenly met with a pair of eyes!


    Pitch-ck and icy, filled with hatred and brutality!


    Xu Shuo started, then admirably recovered and leaped away. And the instant he left the tree, numerous dark, thick substances raced to climb up it!


    The dark matter writhed and formed a figure, the woman standing above the tree, staring at him expressionlessly.


    "Qiuzi, you''re not being good."


    Xu Shuo looked at her, his lips slightly curved, his delicate and pretty face exceedingly meek and harmless.


    Just then, the entire forest was engulfed in darkness, the mist-like darkness drifting through the woods as naturally as breathing, yet it brought an extreme sense of oppressive and trembling danger.


    Xu Shuo felt something cold pressing against his back, sharp nails scraped over the skin of his neck, and gradually climbed onto his face.


    But in reality, all these sensations were nothing more than hallucinations conveyed by his brain.


    He turned swiftly and vanished into the darkness.


    Fight? Fighting was out of the question.


    Changying, standing stiff on the tree, stared at the patch of darkness where the girl had disappeared, her face ominously dark.


    So Qiuzi had be a Necrophage too?


    But that wasn''t right; after contamination, a human''s thoughts could at most remain for a day or two. Their consciousness would gradually be devoured by the "Lord ck God," leaving behind nothing but a walking corpse acting on instinct!


    Qiuzi, was she also chosen by the gods like them?


    ...


    The rich blood spread through the ruins, challenging the sanity of every cultist, their eyes ck as they looked towards that wooded area.


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    After a while, Changying returned to the edge of the pool.


    Her mood didn''t seem good as she said in a low, hoarse voice, "There has been an ident. One of my students seems to have been transformed into a Believer by Lord ck God."


    "Swan, this is already your third mistake," someone said in a sinister tone.


    "But it seems, none of this was caused by me, right?" The woman lifted her head, returning his gaze with an even colder look before shifting her eyes towards a robed figure.


    The tightly cloaked figure cursed under their breath and retorted, "Regardless, you failed to look after the sacrificial offering, it''s your dereliction of duty!"


    "Yes, I didn''t watch the sacrificial offering, and you didn''t watch those useless things," Changying retorted with sarcasm.


    After speaking, she didn''t wait for anyone else to respond, pulled her cloak''s hood down, turned and said, "You continue the ritual, don''t dy it, I will deal with her."


    Even if a Believer were transformed by Lord ck God, if they were not loyal to their deity, then they were insignificant.


    No wonder that girl had an inexplicable attraction to her.


    Changying''s gaze was eerie, and viscous ck matter writhed on her body, soon merging into the ground''s darkness, attacking toward distant ces like a shadow.


    ¡­


    Xu Shuo hadn''t run far and was leaning against a tree ying with his phone.


    He wanted to see if he could contact Officer Zhang, but there was no signal here.


    After Changying had taken him awayst night, he indeed had entered that small dark room, butter, it seemed he had passed through something very soft and squishy, gurgling like the intestines of an animal.


    If nothing unexpected happened, that must have been some kind of transfer method, and then he listened to the sound of rain all night long.


    The preparations of these cultists for their ritual were simply too slow; sincest night, their prayers had started, a nonsensical murmuring that had resonated in his head all night long.


    Xu Shuo yawned, although his body was not tired, the thought of another all-nighter made him feel sleepiness creeping in.


    And the night before, he had already been up all night.


    As he was idly thinking about this, suddenly, a shadow fell overhead.


    Drip, drop... viscous ck liquid fell onto his pale hand.


    Xu Shuo looked up to see, the dim light from his phone screen illuminating the woman''s face, which was so close to his. It was stiff and cold, her skin grayish-blue, her dark pupils staring down at him like a fierce ghost.


    Her body twisted and clung to the tree, her lower half intertwined in the darkness, viscous matter dripping from her body, emitting a putrid stench.


    The rising sun could not bring a single ray of light or warmth to this dark, dpidated ruin.


    "Found you¡­"


    An unsettlingugh emerged from her throat.


    Stripped of her daytime appearance as an elegant and strict mature woman, she looked like a twisted monster, oozing a foul stench, wriggling down from the tree, her fingers dripping with ck viscous matter as she touched the girl''s face.


    Changying gave a strange smile, "Qiuzi, you are indeed my favorite student. You are the chosen child of the deity, you should return to our embrace."


    Her voice was as if it held some bewitching power, making one unconsciously concentrate and listen.


    However, her distorted form was truly horrifying; no matter how she smiled, it was a sinister sight, exuding an air of death and decay from her very flesh and bones.


    Xu Shuo looked at her expressionlessly, his gaze ambiguous.


    Suddenly, heughed softly, a low and dark voice more alluring than hers, "Changying, is it really good to dedicate everything to the deity? Don''t you think it''s a better choice to possess this power yourself?"


    He leaned in close to the woman''s ear and whispered, "I don''t wish to return to the deity''s embrace, but if it''s with you, Changying..."

 Chapter 91: Chapter 88 Mission Accomplished

    The pale expanse of her neck waspletely exposed before her, with the rolling, green veins visible beneath the crystal-clear skin.


    Changying paused for a moment.


    By the time she realized what was happening, a ck tentacle had already pierced through her chest, pulsating darkness spreading from the other''s body, rhythmically absorbing her power like breath!


    Whoosh¡ª¡ª


    A strong gust of wind burst forth, causing the trees to rustle loudly, as Xu Shuo quickly withdrew and retreated.


    Looking up, he saw Changying''s entire body swell, shrouded in a ck mist. Her head split open vertically, revealing a massive mouth akin to that of a beast, its sharp teeth gleaming with a cold light.


    She waspletely unrecognizable as a human.


    The monstrous creature crouched on all fours, emitting a hoarse roar as ck viscous fluid flowed over its body, extending countless tentacles.


    "Oh dear, I''ve riled up something serious," Xu Shuo said with a dryugh, turning to merge into the shadows and escape. However, the beast behind him leaped violently,nding where he had been with its sharp ws viciously plunging into the ground!


    The dark mist in the forest pulsated, and Xu Shuo was involuntarily squeezed out of the shadows, instantly enveloped by the surrounding thick darkness.


    Although it was the same power, Changying''s control over this substance was clearly superior to his. It seemed difficult to consume Lanruo''s shadow and, by extension, her as he had donest time.


    The beast Changying had transformed into resembled a massive ck Dog, with oil dripping from its body.


    Those pitch-ck hollow eyes stared intently at him, as the ck Dog stepped on the sticky ground approaching the girl. A deep, hoarse voice said, "You''re right, if I eat you, my power would be even greater, wouldn''t it..."


    "Changying," Xu Shuo said, looking at her, his tone innocent, "do you know what you look like now?"


    "Oh?" The monster cocked its head, looking at him with interest, its gaze akin to that of a predator savoring thest moments of its prey''s struggle.


    "A Hellhound," Xu Shuo stated.


    "What is that?"


    She had expected to hear mocking words, as her appearance was indeed hard to look at, and thought he might try to strike at her looks to wound her. But she hadn''t expected this term.


    But it no longer mattered.


    The ck beast approached the girl, opening its huge mouth with every tooth sharp and threatening, ck saliva dripping onto the ground, emitting an unbearable stench of decay.


    "A legendary watchdog."


    As Xu Shuo spoke, he focused ahead, opening his skills menu in the yer''s Handbook.


    The doctor card flipped into view, with a "1/1 use" indicator beneath it, suggesting a limitation on usage.


    "A watchdog?!"


    The monster''s attempt to bite down halted abruptly, a note of dissatisfactioncing its hoarse, suppressed voice. Its inky eyes were fixated on the girl''s pale, delicate features.


    Thus, Xu Shuo''s finger, hovering over the ''use'' button, also paused.


    His gaze met those ck orbs with a profound look, as the girl''s pupils and whites had both turned into an abyssal void, captivating and terrifying at once, unconsciously igniting shivers, yet alluring as the deep itself.


    She always managed to capture attention like this, naturally stirring deep-seated desires, leading them into an indulgent abyss.


    In the silent forest, time seemed to slow and thicken, as though one was stuck in a swamp, unable to move.


    "Yes, you''re just like..."


    Xu Shuo''s voice slowly carried on, elongating the action of speaking itself. The next moment, a deafening explosion resounded from the site of the ruined altar!


    Fine, dense golden light pierced through the thick darkness, swirling atop the altar.


    Something had altered there!


    In the fleeting moment of Changying''spse, Xu Shuo quickly merged with the darkness, freeing himself from the shackles, and ran toward the ruins.


    He didn''t run in the opposite direction, instead leading Teacher Changying to follow swiftly without hesitation, as the ck tendrils spread crazily towards the altar through the spreading fog.


    The monster leaped past Xu Shuo, its giant ferocious body breaking out of the forest and its sharp ws piercing through the concrete to nail itself to the ground!


    ...


    The thirteen girls'' blood had already been drained, and on the other side of the altary several dead ck Dogs in the channel, their dark blood trickling down.


    The dried-up pool was half clean, vivid red, half turbid, pitch ck, creating an eerie image where two starkly contrasting colors intertwined, with the rich scent of blood mingled with the stench of decay spreading over the altar.


    The morning sun hung on the edge of the eastern sky, emitting a light that was both ethereal and cold, as dark clouds began to gather overhead once again.


    By the altar''s side, Xuenay quietly among a pile of robed figures, enduring the foul stench of blood and rot.


    She had thought she too would be bled, but after an anxious wait, all she heard were chaotic whispers, all she felt was a cold, sticky substance continually flowing over her body, as if caressing her.


    So slow!


    Why hasn''t it started yet!


    In such an eerie atmosphere, even the calmest heart would begin to grow restless, let alone hers which was never very calm to begin with.


    Xuena''s eyes trembled involuntarily under her eyelids, and just then, silence suddenly descended around her.


    The nonsensical murmurs, the sound of the wind, the flow of liquid, the cultists'' chants, all vanished, leaving the atmosphere oppressively stifling.


    In this lonely silence, she felt as if she were swaying in the surging waves of the sea, until finally, with a "ssh"!


    [Congrattions, you havepleted the task: Be the star of "Swan Lake".]


    She had seeded!


    Xuena abruptly opened her eyes!


    The stench of blood and the unbearable viscosity boiled, invading her mouth, nose, ears, and even her wide-open eyes from all sides!


    Damn it! Those people had thrown her into the altar!


    Struggling to her feet, Xuena''s eyes widened as she saw nine robed figures closely surrounding the edge of the pool.


    They blocked out all light, and darkness seemed to rule the entire world, their pairs of emotionless, abyssal eyes staring fixedly at her, a malevolence and sly intent boring into her soul!


    She was overwhelmed by an uncontroble sense of fear, not even daring to harbor the slightest thought of resistance, merely wanting to let herself sink into the filth of the pool!


    ¡ªBut how could she possibly?


    Apart from madmen, no one could give up any glimmer of life in the face of death!


    "Boom!"


    Suddenly, countless fine lines of light burst forth from the ground, the flowing ck viscous substance violently bubbling up, and a shrill, piercing sound exploded in an instant, like the wailing of myriad lost souls!


    Shocked by the sound, Xuena''s brain went nk.


    The cultists seemed equally taken by surprise, retreating apprehensively to the edge of the pool in full defense.


    A golden Magic Array Map pushed aside the ck substance, and its lines took shape, soon followed by two figures rising from below the ground.


    "Cool, but filthy to death!"


    The curse echoed as Officer Zhang, drenched in ck sticky gunk, stood with his deep-blue police uniform also spared no mercy, exposed skin smoking under the corrosion of the Holy light.


    The priest beside him, however, was still in pristine condition, bathed in golden light, looking saintly andpassionate.


    Yet upon seeing their surroundings clearly, his slight smile tightened somewhat.


    They were surrounded...

 Chapter 92: Chapter 89: Lone Army

    Before dawn.


    The raging storm fromst night seemed as if it had never existed, leaving the entire city in utter silence.


    ck rats freely rummaged through the copsed trash cans, the putrid stench flowing along the gutter, passing through dark alleys, dirty water draining into the sewers.


    As of the darkest moment before dawn had passed, the edge of the sky had gradually turned pale.


    Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin


    This block was cordoned off by the police.


    At the depths of the alley, a rust-streaked iron door was tightly shut, with no sounding from within, nothing but dead silence, only a mood of extreme oppression spreading.


    Officer Zhang kept her head lowered, pacing back and forth in the alley.


    After waiting for quite a while, she finally grew impatient and lifted her head with an eerie look toward the silent iron door.


    "Open the door!"


    She said in a sharp voice.


    The two policemen guarding the door also looked perplexed, one of them cautiously grasped the doorknob, and just as he forcefully pulled the door open the next moment, the floodlights aimed at the doorway instantly switched on!


    Whoosh¡ª¡ª


    The incandescent light flooded into the room, illuminating the darkness with a somewhat gloomy hue, and every item¡ªthe round table, chairs¡ªwasid bare.


    Officer Zhang''s pupils constricted as she quickly stepped into the room. The ce wasid out neatly, with no possible hiding spots for anyone!


    The priest raised an eyebrow and followed her in a step behind.


    There was no one inside¡ªthe lights had been turned off, the iron door closed, a policeman was left alone in the dark, confined space, and was given a set time to open the door ande out on his own.


    However, now that they had opened the door from the outside, the person inside had disappeared.


    This room was as if it could devour people.


    The priest stepped on a ck, sticky substance on the floor and said, "It seems there really is a teleportation passage here."


    "Now that the experiment has been conducted, and I''ve lost a man, you''d better find me a solution!" Officer Zhang turned to re at him, speaking in a lowered voice.


    "Now you''re being unreasonable; this test was meant to involve using either oneself or a substitute," the priest replied, spreading his hands.


    Officer Zhang rolled her eyes.


    But at least, they now had a rough guess about where those cultists might have gone.


    They truly disappeared right under their noses.


    The priest walked a circle around the floodlit room and then gestured for Officer Zhang to bring over some paint. She immediately turned to instruct her subordinate outside.


    This was a mixed-use district; it was easy to find whatever one needed¡ªthough the means might not be entirely aboveboard. But under these circumstances, they couldn''t be too concerned about that.


    A bucket of red paint was handed over by a policeman.


    "Looks like a truly ominous color."


    The priest chuckled, dipped his brush into the paint, and drops of red liquid fell onto the ground, almost indistinguishable from the ck sticky substance.


    He began drawing strange patterns on the ground; the red paint pushed aside the ck goo, their edges mixing slightly to create a murky, purple-ck color.


    Officer Zhang stood by the door watching him. As the diagram began to take shape, resembling some sort of fantastic magic array, but the crimson color in the pitch-ck room appeared even more sinister and devoid of any holy aura.


    After finishing the drawing, the priest tossed the brush outside the door, and Officer Zhang standing by the doorway quickly stepped aside.


    "Water," the priest then extended his hand.


    "The water in the car," Officer Zhang hesitated for a moment before turning to speak to her subordinate.


    The water the priest requested at such a time was certainly not ordinary water; they had almost emptied the church''s pool before this operationmenced, and the goldfish were nearly left gasping for breath.


    Soon, another bucket of clear water was brought over.


    The priest took out the Holy Grail from his white cloth pouch, filled it with a bit of Holy Water, and began to pour it onto the red lines drawn out from the doorway.


    The water flowed with a murmuring sound, naturally spreading along those red-painted lines.


    Following that, the priest made strange hand gestures in front of his chest, then closed his eyes and began to pray with sincerepassion, murmuring in a voice so small and peculiar.


    As he prayed, the Array Diagram emitted a holy golden light, and the viscous substance on the ground started to churn as if boiling.


    Officer Zhang stood inside the room, and when she realized her feet were gradually sinking, she instinctively tried to step away. However, after ncing at the still-immobile priest, she thought better of it and decided to grit her teeth and endure.


    "Captain!"


    Seeing this from outside the room, the police officers were somewhat anxious and uncertain.


    Officer Zhang looked at them and, after a moment''s thought, said with a frown, "A team of five, follow me in; the rest of you continue guarding this ce. Be sure not to let anyone close to the block or let anyone out."


    "Yes!"


    In a sh, five people resolutely entered the dark room.


    The priest was still praying with his eyes closed, seemingly unaware of the outside world.


    The ck viscous substance kept swallowing them up, but the golden light from the Array Diagram was negating this corrosive force, with a fizzing miasma circling around them.


    Soon, Officer Zhang felt she had entered a pitch-ck and chill ce, where she could only hear the priest''s murmured chanting, which carried aforting power that gradually steadied her nervous and fearful emotions.


    But aside from his voice, there was no other sound.


    What about the people who followed her in?!


    Officer Zhang saw nothing but darkness, reached out her hand to feel beside her, but encountered nothing, not even the viscous substance clinging to her body¡ªit felt like air when she touched it.


    Boom!


    The space suddenly shook, like the jolt of an elevator reaching its destination, and then, Officer Zhang felt she was rising again.


    ...


    "This is too thrilling..."


    She looked around; the five subordinates who had followed her in were gone, and she was covered in sticky ck goo that burned painfully.


    The priest smiled and said, "It seems your willpower is quite strong. You weren''t beguiled inside and lost your sanity."


    "What beguilement? All I could hear was your prayer," Officer Zhang said as she disgustedly shook off the ck substance from her body.


    "If you couldn''t hear it, I would be fighting alone right now," the priest sighed.


    They were surrounded by cultists. The police force had only one person, the church had only one person, and there were ten enemies on the scene, with perhaps even dozens of Necrophages arrivingter.


    Thud!


    At that moment, a huge monster about two to three meters tall leaped out from the woods andnded heavily in the ruins!


    Its sharp ws sank deep into the cement floor, teeth dripping with ck saliva sharply honed, and those eerie pitch-ck eyes filled with savagery and brutality fixed on them!


    Priest: "Ah, there''s a big monster too."


    Officer Zhang gasped sharply, and then, with keen eyes, she spotted a girl running towards them from behind the creature.


    The girl''s pale face was bloodless, her delicate eyebrows faint, exuding a fragile and delicate sense of brokenness. Her slight and graceful figure seemed too frail to stand a breeze; she also looked toward Officer Zhang.


    Then she gave her a bright, creepy, unsettling smile.


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    For a moment, she wanted to say something but didn''t know what to say.

 Chapter 93: Chapter 90: Go Soak in There a Bit Longer

    The ominous ruins served as an altar, where cultists with eyes void of emotion watched the two humans who had just barged in, as if looking at the dead.


    The ground writhed in darkness, as dozens of Necrophages burrowed out.


    Officer Zhang nced over and was startled to discover that the five subordinates who had entered with her, as well as the previously missing policeman, were among them!


    This sent a chill down her spine. ording to the priest, had she also gotten lost in there just now, would she have ended up like this?


    But some risks are necessary to take.


    "Leave the Necrophages to me, and you handle those cultists!" Officer Zhang decisively pulled out her handgun and said sternly.


    "You wish," the priest scoffed.


    The monstrous beast let out a bestial growl, pouncing towards them with tremendous force, while at the same time, the surrounding Necrophages also crazily lunged forward!


    Officer Zhang swiftly dodged, raised her handgun, and fired several bullets to take down a few of the Necrophages that had pounced close. Then, she rolled under the beast''s limbs to the side of the ruins.


    She instinctively looked back but couldn''t see Qiuzi, who she had just noticed.


    The cultists were gathered around something indiscernible in the dark, and on either side above the altar, channels were flowing with thick blood.


    On the tform connected to the channels, to one sidey several dead ck Dogs, underneath which was a dark, putrid liquid.


    On the other side were more than a dozen girls who seemed already dead, their skin still soft to the eye, but fresh red blood flowed down from their bodies...


    Officer Zhang was taken aback.


    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Discover the true reason behind the young girls'' disappearance.]


    The next instant, the thought in Officer Zhang''s mind was: The task is done, do I run now?


    In fact, she had already reflexively started looking for escape routes. After casually shooting a few more Necrophages, she surveyed her surroundings, finding herself in ruins surrounded by the Dark Forest.


    She felt that running into the forest would be even more dangerous than staying here...


    The next moment, as she was slightly distracted, a pitch-ck shadow leapt up from the ground!


    The viscous, disgusting liquid instantlytched onto her foot, gnawing at it like it was corroding bone, the pain searing through her entire calf as it felt as heavy as lead and immovable.


    Officer Zhang was about to aim her gun at her own leg when, at that moment, a few Necrophages with wide-open mouths and sharp fangs charged her. She had to swivel her gun around quickly to kill those senseless beasts.


    Meanwhile, as the ck Dog beast lunged over, the priest immediately withdrew the ornate Holy Sword from the white wrapping.


    The sword hilt was iid with three colored gemstones that glittered brightly, and numerous white diamonds adorned the de, its opulent wealth and Holy beauty strikingly at odds with the sullied darkness of the ruins.


    The beast halted its swinging paw mid-strike, ck eyes shing with intense disgust and hatred, but it held back, hesitating to approach because of obvious dread.


    The cultists didn''t even bother with Officer Zhang on the other side, but as soon as the priest drew his sword, all ten of them fixed their gaze upon it in unison!


    Murkiness and distortion twisted their faces into extreme grimaces, and all ten in unison began to chant in a low voice, "Swan, kill him! Swan, kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"


    Their deep murmurs gradually became hoarse and shrill as they distorted their features, hysterically screaming, "Kill him!"


    The struggling beast paused as if it had torn through some kind of restraint, no longer wary of the Holy light''s threat, its sharp ws dripping with darkness as it swiped down at the priest!


    ng!


    The ws stuck against the Holy Sword, and the ck viscous substance flowed down the de, only to instantly turn into ck mist and hiss away.


    The priest easily knocked the paw aside with a little force. The beast let out a piercing, pathetic shriek as its paw, wounded by the Holy Sword, seemed to fester like rot, and half of its sharp ws melted away.


    A few cultists showed eyes filled with dread, but they still closely surrounded the Blood Pool, not moving an inch.


    Officer Zhang, entangled in shadows, glinted fiercely in her eyes. Without even looking, she fired her gun at the Necrophage with her right hand, while her left hand drew a silver dagger from her waistband and plunged it without hesitation into the darkness clinging to her thigh.


    In an instant, a piercing scream resounded as the darkness, like meeting its natural enemy, rapidly receded.


    The next moment, she heard the click-ck sound from her hand, and seeing the bullets had run out, Officer Zhang swiftly dodged the pouncing Necrophage, kicked it down to the ground, and stabbed down fiercely with the dagger!


    This was far more effective than the enchanted bullets. The Necrophage dissipated into dust with a distressing scream.


    Officer Zhang lifted her head and narrowed her eyes, locking onto one of the cultists.


    She stomped the ground heavily and, in an instant, shot forward like an arrow released from a bow!


    The cultist turned abruptly, his pitch-ck eyes reflecting the cold countenance of the policewoman. The next moment, his face also tore open with a huge maw, his limbs growingrge and extending ws!


    Officer Zhang, charging forward, quickly crouched down, shifted the dagger to her right hand to hold it in a reverse grip, and as the cultist opened his mouth wide, she cleaved diagonally upward with force!


    Hiss¡ª


    The silver dagger traced a bright, cold light, neatly bisecting the transforming cultist into two, who instantly disintegrated into ck mist!


    "Kill her!"


    The remaining nine cultists'' eyes burst with twisted violence, their ck robes turned into a viscous liquid that clung to their bodies, their forms mutating and erging, hideous beastly visages recing their human figures!


    However, after killing the one who controlled the Necrophages, Officer Zhang turned and ran!


    The ck fog in the forest boiled and converged towards the ruins, the rich stench of decay mixing with the scent of blood spreading throughout the area, as the shrill and sharp howls of the beasts wove into a chaotic symphony.


    ¡­


    When those cultists finally stopped tightly circling the Blood Pool, Xuena finally saw a sliver of light, although the faint brightness was also cold and dreary; at least it wasn''t the boundless darkness and the maddening murmurs.


    She was half-submerged in the Blood Pool, her entire face streaming with thick, dark-red blood, panting as shey on the edge of the pool.


    Her head throbbed painfully, as if something was trying to forcibly squeeze inside. Apart from the sharp, piercing roars and the sounds of battle outside, the dense, unceasing murmurs continued, endlessly speaking of something, relentlessly eroding your thoughts.


    Xuena tried to prop herself up to climb out of the Blood Pool, but at that moment, a shadow suddenly fell over her head.


    She looked up abruptly and saw Qiuzi, who had appeared at the edge of the Blood Pool, looking down at her with a charming smile.


    The girl looked at her and said softly, "Xuena, don''t you want to soak a bit longer?"


    Xuena felt a surge of fear and, without responding, quickly turned over to climb out, but in the next moment, she was grabbed by the head and violently pushed back into the Blood Pool!


    "Hiss..."


    Taken by surprise, she instinctively swallowed a mouthful of blood, but thankfully reacted in time not to gulp it down.


    Xuena, her head buried in the Blood Pool, struggled violently, one hand clinging tightly to the edge and refusing to let go, while the other iled wildly in the air. Suddenly, she grasped a mirror and, without a second thought, smashed it towards the threat!


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo quickly leaned back to avoid the ancient bronze mirror.


    Though clueless about its purpose, considering it was a product of the system, it was probably better not to touch it. Explore more at m,v l''e-NovelBin


    Hadn''t you seen Officer Zhang in the back crazily killing with a dagger just now?


    In a split second, Xuena seized the opportunity to stand up, spitting out the blood in her mouth forcefully, and red hatefully at the vulnerable girl opposite her!

 Chapter 94: Chapter 91: Sacrifice (Please Subscribe for the First Time!)

    She was still clutching the copper mirror tightly in her hand, a very retro design that appeared somewhat worn.


    Xuena stared warily at the girl standing by the edge of the pool, staggering through the thick, rich Blood Pool, retreating to the opposite side.


    But as she carefully made her way to the other side and braced her hands on the edge of the pool to climb out, a figure of the girl emerged from the dark, viscous matter on the ground.


    Xuena immediately let go and backed away, raising the copper mirror to face her.


    Xu Shuo cocked his head, looking at the distorted features of the girl in the bronze mirror. It seemed nothing special, just an ancient mirror.


    "What on earth do you want to do!" Xuena shouted, her voice fierce but with underlying fear.


    "They need a sacrifice for the ritual. What do you think your identity is now?" Xu Shuo propped his chin and squatted beside the Blood Pool, ncing at the two colors of blood slowly blending together.


    After spending too long in this ce, Xuena''s condition clearly became abnormal, her wholeplexion deathly pale, tinged with a strange blue-ck color, just like those Necrophages.


    The ck mist from the forest kept drifting over here. The sun hanging in the sky failed to provide the slightest warmth or brightness. A ck vortex subtly swirling above the altar, wing at the air like a monstrous beast of immense size.


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    And at the center of the entire ritual was this pool, mixed with the fresh red blood of the girl and the filthy blood of the ck Dog.


    The Necrophages that had lost control wandered around, roaring mindlessly, instinctively pouncing toward the flesh and blood bodies of the priest and Officer Zhang.


    Yet they paid no attention to Xuena who was here.


    Xu Shuo reached out, intending to touch her, but was avoided by the extremely vignt Xuena turning her head away.


    The antique frame of the copper mirror suddenly emitted a glow, revealing hidden golden patterns, and the murky mirror surface began to clear.


    What was reflected was no longer the girl''s face.


    As the face in the mirror began to change, Xu Shuo quickly stood up and retreated, avoiding the direct reflection of the copper mirror.


    After entering the world of Scripted Murder Game, although the characters that yers merge with will take on the appearance of the yers in the real world, there were still some subtle changes, not exactly the same.


    That feeling was as though the yersbined the characteristics of their roles to constitute a new individual.


    But this mirror could actually reveal the yers'' real-life appearances!


    Is this a Demon-Revealing Mirror...


    As Xu Shuo retreated, Xuena quickly rushed forward, finally scrambling up the edge of the Blood Pool and climbing out.


    Her body was covered in a murky dark red blood, so thick it was almost indistinguishable from oil. The girl''s long hair had clumped together, dripping with sticky liquid, as if she was coated with a thinyer of blood film.


    Xuena kept a vignt eye on Xu Shuo. As she climbed up, she didn''t notice the six sets of eyes that suddenly fixed on her from behind!


    A sharp roar apanied by ck fog assaulted her!


    ck Dog-like giant beastsnded their ws. Feeling the gust of the attack, Xuena rolled forward violently, a loud bang sounded as she got caught in the crevice by a pitch-ck w, pressing her down to the ground.


    She looked up in horror, and through a blood-colored membrane obscuring her vision, she saw a pitch-ck beast opening its mouth, exhaling a stench of decay and cold qi.


    Plop...


    ck saliva dripped onto the girl''s body.


    Xuena struggled to move her hand from between the ws, shaking as she held the copper mirror up to the giant creature in front of her.


    The patterns on the mirror''s frame were outlined by a golden glow, and the mirror reflected not the shape of the monster nor the Cultists but a distorted, indescribable viscous mass.


    The pupils of the ck creature suddenly dted, and the next moment, it let out a piercing shriek, its entire massive body folding and twisting in eerie convulsions!


    It struggled to escape, but the golden patterns emanating from the old mirror suddenly swept forth, countless golden threads entwining and shackling it firmly!


    Xu Shuo stood to one side, watching the monster being squeezed and twisted into a pulsating mass of ck, viscous substance, which was then absorbed into the copper mirror atst.


    The copper mirror looked even more worn than before.


    Xuena panted as she mbered up, trying to peel off the blood film on her face with her hand, but the more she wiped, the more it smeared, with dark red liquid continuously flowing from her every orifice.


    "Do you want me to help you?" Xu Shuo ominously approached, reaching out a hand towards her mirror.


    "Scram!"


    Xuena red at him defensively, but the next moment, her pupils shrank sharply. Behind Qiuzi, five monsters rushed over in a frenzy!


    Xu Shuo disappeared into the shadows at his feet without turning back, and just as the ck Dogs closed in, a priest in a holy white robe suddenly stood in front of her, wielding the dazzling Holy Sword with force!


    ng!


    The beast at the forefront had its ws severed by the de of light swung from the Holy Sword, the intense light corroding them. Yet, these creatures, seemingly unafraid, continued to rush forward crazily!


    The priest nced at the sky above the altar and slipped off his white wrap to toss it to Xuena.


    "There''s a cloth inside, cover up!"


    "What..."


    Xuena hurriedly caught the wrap, asking in confusion while frantically unfolding it to find a grubby piece of linen cloth.


    More importantly, the linen cloth exuded an unbearable stench, akin to the decay smell of a corpse left unattended for a long time.


    It could easily rival the stench of these Cultists.


    For a moment, she doubted whether this man''s intentions were the same as Qiuzi''s.


    The priest once again blocked the frenzied attacks of the monsters, turning his head to bark, "Stop wasting time! Cover it up! Why do you think they suddenly went crazy over you? If you dawdle any longer, you''ll be eroded!"


    "Alright, alright, I''m covering it..."


    Xuena was well aware of her own condition. Her throbbing head was constantly echoing with irritable murmurs, and the feeling of nausea was intense. If this continued, she would have to use the copper mirror on herself.


    More critically, her body was oozing dark red blood everywhere, already as foul as it could get.


    She pulled out several meters of the linen cloth, draped it over herself,y down to tuck in the edges, and wrapped herself tightly, clutching the copper mirror without moving, looking very much like a dead corpse.


    In that instant, the frenzied howling of the monsters abruptly ceased, the atmosphere in the ruins filled with ck mist turned suppressive and dense.


    But the deathly silencested only a moment before the darkness gathered in the sky plummeted down like a tornado!


    The twister crashed into the Blood Pool, dark and twisting tumultuously, but it could not find a host to possess.


    The dense, dark red blood boiled, spilling over from the edges of the pool, and wandered around Xuena, wrapped in the linen cloth, as if alive, a strong sense of malice and trembling pervading the ruins!


    Officer Zhang squinted slightly at the situation atop the altar. The priest paid no attention to the Blood Pool that spilled over but remained vignt to the several stupefied monsters.


    The woond around them, previously shrouded in ck mist, seemed to have been drained, the trees swaying under the dim sunlight.


    She turned to leave, only to suddenly lock eyes with a pair of pitch-ck eyes behind her.


    "Zhang, can I hide for a while?" Xu Shuo blinked.

 Chapter 95: Chapter 92 Evil Descends (Please Subscribe First!)

    "Qiuzi, what on earth do you want to do?" Officer Zhang asked with flickering eyes, watching her calmly.


    "I don''t know either, I just feel that thing, it''s very dangerous to me..." Xu Shuo reached out to grab her sleeve, looking at the situation on the altar, spoke fearfully.


    As soon as she finished speaking, Officer Zhang saw the dark red blood flowing on the ground, suddenly rush towards them like mad after failing to probe Xuena!


    Xu Shuo quickly climbed onto her back!


    Officer Zhang felt a sudden weight on her back: "..."


    She clenched the silver dagger in her hand, retreating as the bloody water attacked, originally nning to run into the forest, but turned towards the priest after seeing him!


    The priest looked at the girl hanging behind her, and said with a sinister smile, "You''ve arrived just in time."


    Xu Shuo''s gaze shifted slightly, ncing at the motionless monsters on the opposite side, ck tendrils flew out of her hand,nding on one of the monsters, then she transformed into a shadow and flowed along the tentacle.


    Just as Officer Zhang ran over, she felt her back lighten and simultaneously felt a sticky ck substance flow down.


    The madly pursuing bloody water also instantaneously changed course, desperately rushing towards the ck Dogs; as it drew near, the originally motionless monsters emitted a deep growl, their huge bodies shaking.


    They cowered on the ground, trembling with both fear and fanaticism, waiting for the arrival of the gods, not daring to move an inch.


    Xu Shuo appeared above the head of a monster, looked down at the stunned priest, and smiled faintly.


    "No good!" The priest charged over.


    The thick bloody water instantly engulfed those monsters, they screamed in agony, still without any resistance, allowing the blood to corrode and absorb them!


    Indistinctly, the rolling, twisting blood began to coalesce into the shape of a monster, it had no skin, its red flesh dripping with ck sticky matter.


    Those eyes filled with malice stared intently at the girl not far away, pouncing fiercely!


    Xu Shuo quickly dodged,nding again atop another monster''s head, but at that moment, she caught a glimpse of the brilliant Holy Sword''s radiance!


    The holy de of light brushed past his leaning body, Xu Shuo avoided the attack and ncing at the priest with cold eyes, quickly slipped into the shadows to move in front of another monster, then gave him a beaming middle finger.


    "Pff¡ª" Officer Zhang couldn''t help but burst outughing.


    "You''re still watching the show, time''s already up!" The priest turned back and red at her.


    At his words, Officer Zhang looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun, already dim, was half-eaten by darkness, resembling a crescent moon.


    She suddenly remembered the record on the Handwritten Notes at the police station: "The moment the ck Dogpletely devours the sun, evil will descend upon mankind, and none of us can escape this dark Abyss."


    Desire wanders between the good conscience and evil thoughts of humans, in the gap between ck and white, and when one side is off-bnce, then your consciousness is no longer your own, merely a conglomerate of desire.


    The darkness within a person''s heart will eventually ovee the original purity and good.


    The dense blood swallowed up the monsters transformed from Cultists one by one, bing more and moreplete, devoid of skin, leaving only the clearly visible flesh and blood within.


    All the Necrophages in the ruins had been dealt with by Officer Zhang, the true sacrifice Xuenay in the mortuary cloth not daring to move, Xu Shuo stood not far away, vignt.


    Having absorbed the sticky darkness, the Flesh and Blood monster became humanoid, it no longer chased after the remaining girl, but suddenly let out a hoarse shriek towards the sky, like a fierce ghost''s wail, its slender limbs like branches hit the ground, and it suddenly leapt towards the Blood Pool in the center of the altar!


    Ssh!


    The remaining blood enveloped it, spreading an extremely dense and oppressive malice, the pungency leaving the only two people still normal in the scene unable to even breathe.


    Officer Zhang covered her mouth, unable to hold back a retch.


    At that moment, a huge whirlpool rose from the Blood Pool, twisting and squirming against the pitch-ck sky. Thick limbs and sharp ws reached out from the bloody waters, and a maw with razor-sharp teeth gaped open, while countless vine-like tendrils shot out,nding on the ground to support its distorted body.


    The stench of decay and blood was intense, and with a light breath, their stomachs churned with nausea.


    The massive monster was merely flesh and blood, its body seemingly covered with ayer of blood membrane. Its head was the gaping mouth full of vicious teeth, and its eyes, located beside its mouth, were pitch-ck and lifeless.


    Drip-drip-drip¡ª


    There were no longer the sharp, hoarse cries of the Cultists. The altar was now eerily quiet, the thick blood dripping onto the floor as the creature silently lowered its body of congealed flesh, its head facing the ground.


    In the silent ruins, two people exchanged expressionless nces.


    Xu Shuo''s gaze met that of the monster''s, and although it was unclear whether this bizarre creature had visual perception, its pitch-ck eyes seemed fixated on him.


    Or rather, its target was still him.


    Without a sacrifice, it needed a new body.


    After absorbing the power of the Cultists, the creature had gained a vague shape, but this wasn''t enough. It needed more¡­


    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Find the murderer of Qiuzi.]


    [Congrattions to the yers forpleting more than 50% of the main quest. The current scenario will end in one hour; please prepare ordingly.]


    At that moment, the system announcement echoed in Xu Shuo''s mind.


    However, an hour seemed a bit long.


    Last time at "The Fifth Hospital", the ending time was only half an hour. Why had it changed to one hour here?


    Xu Shuo was puzzled, but the myriad of thoughts in his mind did not prevent him from turning and running at that instant!


    The bloody monster''s gaze silently followed him, countless blood-red tendrils flying towards him, while Xu Shuo ran toward¡ªthe priest!


    The priest had always known that the creature needed a vessel. Xuena was previously the sacrifice, but he had isted her. After that came Qiuzi''s identity.


    Qiuzi was killed by Lanruo, a Necrophage, yet she did not be one of them. Despite being imed by the darkness periodically, she was still able to move freely.


    That was until Teacher Changying said she had been chosen by the gods.


    Perhaps the correct sacrifice from the beginning had been Qiuzi, even though she was no longer a human vessel.


    Xu Shuo ran towards the priest, ignoring his ready stance and the ornate Holy Sword in his hand, and instead pointed to the immense flesh and blood creature behind him.


    "If it eats me, then you won''t be able to stop theing of full-blown evil," he said.


    "So wouldn''t it be more convenient for me to deal with you now?" the priest asked, his face grim.


    "If you darey a hand on me, I''ll turn and join it. Right now, we could still fight together, couldn''t we?" Xu Shuo said.


    "Would you really do that?" the priest sneered.


    Xu Shuoughed softly. "Why not give it a try?"


    As he spoke, he had already stopped, truly fearless in the face of the slowly moving flesh and blood creature behind him.


    After all, if he really got eaten, the one who would truly be in trouble would be the priest.


    As the countdown for the mission began, his face was uglier than anyone else''s.

 Chapter 96: Chapter 93: Collaborate Again (Please Subscribe First!)

    The sky had be pitch ck at some point.


    As the blood-red tornado soared into the sky, the sun was already obscured by darkness, and a thick malice drifted towards the distance, as if something was empowering it. The flesh and blood monster continued to grow, several fanged maws stretching out from within the flesh.


    If left unchecked, it would only be stronger.


    Surviving an hour wouldn''t be easy; it would be better to find a way to deal with this thing directly.


    The priest had definitelye prepared.


    Watching the writhing, putrid blood draw ever closer to the girl who hadn''t moved an inch, the priest irritably sheathed the Holy Sword and gritted his teeth, "Then let''s cooperate!"


    Xu Shuo smiled in satisfaction and quickly stepped away from beneath the flesh monster.


    The creature moved exceedingly slowly, so slowly that it seemed as if time itself had stopped. Anything it touched would be entirely assimted. The dark, viscous matter on the ground was tainted with blood, and the ruins and altar were covered in a scarlet hue.


    Lying on the ground, Xuena could no longer hear any noise, but she felt an increasing difficulty in breathing and couldn''t help reaching out a finger to fiddle with the linen cloth covering her.


    "Don''t move!" the priest snapped at her.


    Even if Xuena wasn''t the ideal sacrifice, she had already been sufficiently contaminated in the Blood Pool, now serving as a sort of demi-extension of the monster.


    The linen cloth was a holy object of the church and had a sealing effect.


    But as the legacy had been passed down, even the Holy Sword needed cleansing before it could be used. The linen cloth could at best prevent the fusion between the monster and the sacrifice; it couldn''t directly seal the monster.


    In a very foul mood, the priest opened the white package and took out a golden box, a crucifix, and a short gun.


    He had brought these things just in case, never intending nor wishing to use them, as doing so would mean they were in a dire situation!


    At that moment, Officer Zhang came over, "You church folks really have a lot of stuff."


    "Help me take her away," the priest said, his mood too sour to chide this ally''s inaction, without even turning to point at Xuena lying on the ground.


    The flesh monster continued to swell within the ruins, its countless blood vines suddenly shooting out and anchoring into the ground. Enduring the heavy stench of blood and decay, they dared not touch the blood flowing on the ground.


    Officer Zhang shrugged his shoulders, wrapped the linen cloth tighter, and then carried Xuena towards the forest.


    "What exactly is happening now, can''t Ie out yet?" Inside the linen cloth, Xuena breathed hastily and asked somewhat irritably.


    "If youe out, you''ll die. Why not give it a try?" Officer Zhang said.


    "..."


    Xuena stayed silent, her nostrils, stomach, and even her brain filled with an unbearable stench of decay. It was already a restraint of her bodily instincts not to vomit.


    In the ruins, the priest handed the rusty short gun to Xu Shuo, "Use this to nail it in that thing''s head."


    Xu Shuo poked at it with a finger, feeling no danger before taking it, then raised an eyebrow, "Which head?"


    The priest looked up.


    The massive body of the flesh monster twisted and coiled, silently producing another fanged maw, its plethora of blood vines turning the ce into a cage-like entrapment.


    They divided the tasks between them in the gaps between the vines, the thick blood dripping from the monster above, meandering towards the girl''s location.


    After silently pondering for a while, he said, "Nail it into the middle part of its body."


    Xu Shuo nodded, "What about you?"


    The priest took a deep breath, "I pray!"


    ...


    In the woods, Officer Zhang ced Xuena, wrapped in linen, among the branches and then turned to look at the situation near the ruins.


    Against a backdrop of crimson, dark viscous matter rose again with the girl''s petite and graceful figure standing atop, her pale and translucent skin filled with a fragile brokenness.


    It seemed that no matter when, she would unconsciously attract attention, unfailingly emanating a seductive aura that stirred the desires of the heart.


    Just as the man who peeked at her every night, or Lanruo who would stop at nothing to be the lead actress, Xuena knew that despite the risk of death, she couldn''t help but take the gamble... Everyone revealed their inner darkness because of her.


    After staring for a while, Officer Zhang suddenly realized, could this also be a tactic?


    At that moment, the Flesh and Blood monster opened its gaping mouth, fangs dripping with blood, as several enormous jaws bit down wildly at the shadowy figure!


    The girl skillfully dodged with leaps, fluttering like a butterfly through flowers, her dark shape flickering in and out of sight amidst the blood-red, as mesmerizing as when she danced ballet. In this turbid, putrid filth, she was like the purest elf.


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    Once she snapped out of it, she forcefully pped herself.


    Then, with a clear head, she smacked her swollen cheek and started running towards the ruins.


    The priest stood at the edge of the ruins, making strange hand signals, engrossed in his prayer, the white holy robe still impably clean even at that time.


    "Hey, is there anything I need to do?" asked Officer Zhang as she approached.


    The countdown to the end of the game had only passed by five minutes, and she couldn''t guarantee that she would still be mentally stable if she actually stayed the full hour.


    The erosion of consciousness by the Flesh and Blood monster was imperceptible, otherwise how could she think such a jumble of thoughts during battle? She felt like she was going crazy!


    The priest didn''t speak, continuing his relentless prayer, only opening his eyes to signal towards a gold box and a cross ced beside him.


    It was described as a box, but it was more like a cab with double doors, albeit small and cute.


    The box was already opened, empty on the inside, old on the outside but new on the inside.


    Officer Zhang idly fiddled with it for a while, then asked, "And then what?"


    Still focused on his prayers, the priest paid her no further attention. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his lips even turned a little pale as if he was struggling greatly.


    Officer Zhang looked up to see Qiuzi weaving through countless writhing tentacles, seemingly trying to get close to a certain spot.


    After contemting, she set down the golden box, took out the silver dagger, and leapt into action!


    A set of fanged jaws came at her head-on, and Officer Zhang calmly raised her silver dagger to strike. Blood instantly sshed on her hand, corroding the flesh like sulfuric acid.


    At the same time, a heap of gibberish thoughts crashed into her mind!


    But in the blink of an eye, the monster''s mouth turned to ash.


    After shaking off the random thoughts in her head, Officer Zhang slightly furrowed her brow, realizing that the creature''s erosive power was quite strong.


    Xu Shuo noticed themotion and smiled faintly, then turned and swiftly made his way towards her, followed by countless blood-colored tentacles and sharp-toothed mouths!


    Officer Zhang''s mouth twitched.


    This girl, she was really using her to her death!

 Chapter 97: Chapter 94: Hope there wont be a next time (Please subscribe!)

    But still, she couldugh so innocently!


    Officer Zhang took a deep breath, took the water bag from his waist, and poured a bottle of Holy Water over his right wrist; then he swung down the short dagger at the attacking tentacles!


    Xu Shuo passed by her side, thanks to Officer Zhang blocking those attacks, his movements were less restricted.


    He held the rusty short gun in his hand. With a serene expression, Xu Shuo circumvented the dripping blood, avoided the tentacles shing in twisted trajectories, and arrived in front of the gigantic Flesh and Blood monster.


    Its body resembled a column twisted from tendons, ligaments, and flesh, constantly swelling and stretching out new limbs and giant mouths with fangs, emitting a foul stench.


    Xu Shuo tossed the short gun into the air, and a ck substance enveloped it. Instantly, it shot out like an arrow released from its bow!


    Pu!


    The short gun was nailed into the Flesh and Blood body, but did notpletely sink in, like an ordinary sword trying to stab someone, only to find it too blunt.


    Xu Shuo nced at it, then lowered his head to look at the priest, who had retreated to the edge of the woods to stay away from the flowing blood.


    He continued to pray, his holy bishop''s white robe moving without wind, a golden box and a cross floating in front of him, faintly emitting a Holy light.


    The originally mosquito-like whisper of his prayer grew louder and louder, gentle and rich like a breeze passing by.


    But Xu Shuo felt a sudden headache.


    It wasn''t just him; the Flesh and Blood monster behind him, although huge and with numerous tentacles and sharp fangs and ws, suddenly went berserk!


    It opened its mouth in a silent scream, its whole body violently twisting and struggling, its movements suddenly frenzied and rapid. Officer Zhang, caught off guard, was directly whipped away by a tentacle!


    As soon as the headache started, Xu Shuo rapidly retreated. He staggered to the edge of the woods, suppressing the violent and murderous impulses inside him.


    Was the priest... buffing the enemy?


    "You must be sent by them, aren''t you!" Officer Zhang spat out a mouthful of dirty blood, her waist and abdomen seemingly caved in, and immediately cursed in anger.


    Others seal monsters by making them weaker with each hit, but he''s the opposite; this monster''s madness almost turned the entire dark sky into a scarlet blood color!


    The thick dark red fluid sttered everywhere, countless waving tentacles attacking indiscriminately!


    But no matter what, it seemed unable to attack the priest; a dazzling golden barrier surrounded him on all sides.


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    The priest continued praying indifferently, and the rusty short sword stuck in the monster''s body suddenly burst with light. The next moment, its deafening, sorrowful roar reached everyone''s ears, even causing temporary deafness!


    The world plunged into absolute silence at that instant. Officer Zhang was stunned for a moment. Then, the linen cloth she had ced in the woods moved slightly.


    Xu Shuo was suppressing the impulses in his heart when he suddenly noticed something and turned his head to look in that direction.


    Xuena, with ayer of blood film covering her, her face deathly pale and her eyes lifeless, stood up from under the linen at some point. She picked up the copper mirror in her hand and step by step approached the priest praying with his back towards her.


    The shadow on the ground passed in an instant, and Xu Shuo rose from it, kicking her fiercely!


    Bang!


    Xuena was sent flying backward, crashing into a tree and falling to the ground, but after a short while, she rose stiffly up again.


    Officer Zhang, unable to hear, noticed themotion and shouted after looking at the linen on the ground: "Use that thing!"


    Xu Shuo heard her and shook his head at her, mouthing two words: "Don''t."


    Officer Zhang: "..."


    She bore the pain in her abdomen and got up, picked up the linen from the ground, and pounced directly at Xuena, who was again raising the mirror. The linen wrapped tightly around the girl, severely slowing her struggles.


    Seeing it was effective, Officer Zhang lifted a few stones from the ground to hold down the four corners of the linen, and then sat down beside it, gasping for breath.


    Her hearing hadn''t returned, and the overly quiet atmosphere made her involuntarily stay alert to her surroundings; the next moment, she saw the strange hunger in Qiuzi''s eyes.


    It held a certain fanatical longing, and even, she saw Qiuzi swallowed saliva as she looked at her.


    Officer Zhang was at a loss for words for a moment, only able to cautiously grip the silver dagger in her hand, her gaze vigntly fixed on her, the two locking eyes for a long time.


    That dagger, despite having killed many Necrophages and even been stained with polluted blood, was still sharp and gleaming.


    Licking his lips, Xu Shuo chuckled softly, "Don''t worry, I can control it, I just want to look."


    It had been two days since hest ate, and right now, the pure scent of flesh and blood emanating from Officer Zhang was very enticing, the malice inside him even keener to tear her apart!


    Of course, if it were not for the fact that the priest was even more dangerous, the priest would be more tempting.


    The Flesh and Blood monster had already shifted its focus away from him and was now frantically charging at the praying priest. The short sword stuck in it swayed precariously but did note loose.


    The two sides seemed to be locked in a standoff.


    While keeping an eye on Qiuzi, Officer Zhang checked the battle, only to see the priest drenched in cold sweat, even his praying hands trembling.


    She paused, then suddenly remembered that guy seemed to ask her for some help just before.

 Chapter 98: Chapter 94: Hope theres no next time (Please subscribe!)_2

    The golden box that had been opened trembled chaotically within the barrier, seemingly attempting to do something, flickering and shining light.


    Officer Zhang suddenly realized what was happening and ran to the priest''s side to take the box in her hands, facing the flesh monster with it. In an instant, the box burst into golden light, just like the mythic Moonlight Treasure Box.


    The flesh and blood in the air began to converge towards the box, and a hurricane formed within the ruins, drawing the spreading blood color back, revealing a patch of the darkened sky once again.


    The monster''s countless heads opened wide, as if they were screaming in madness, but Officer Zhang couldn''t hear clearly.


    The box she was clinging to gradually became heavy, and she could only hold it tightly with both trembling hands, watching as the immense flesh monster crumbled and was absorbed into the box.


    In the forest, Xuena, who was bound in linen, struggled violently. Seeing this, Xu Shuo stepped on her and didn''t let her move.


    Trickles of blood flowed out from under the linen, all converging into the box in Officer Zhang''s hands.


    The dark and dim sky, the ck sun covered by the moon, revealed itself with an edge tinged with dark red light, exuding a sense of wickedness.


    The forest swayed, hearing the pitiful screams from afar and the insane murmurs in his mind, Xu Shuo clicked his tongue in annoyance, his pitch-ck eyes filled with a gloomy air as he stared at the priest.


    Time became sluggish and viscous.


    Officer Zhang didn''t know how long she had been clutching the box, but the grotesque, indescribable flesh monster finally copsedpletely!


    The blood color vanished in the darkness, and the air in the ruins felt much fresher.


    "Close it!" the priest finally spoke and hurriedly shouted.


    Officer Zhang instinctively closed the box quickly.


    "The cross!"


    Officer Zhang again instinctively grabbed the nearby cross and ced it into the empty slot on the lid of the box. It fitted perfectly.


    "Give it to me!" the priest immediately stretched out his hand.


    Officer Zhang reflexively handed it over to him, but when she turned her head and saw the priest who seemed to have aged a lot, she suddenly came to her senses.


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    Handing the golden box over to the priest, Officer Zhang btedly touched her own ear.


    The smell of decay lingered on the scene, stepping amongst the rubble and loose stones, there was still a faint crunching sound, the sky was covered in thick, dark clouds, and the breeze brushed through the forest.


    Although the total eclipse was not over, the moon had already shifted slightly to the side.


    The priest sat on the ground, gasping for breath with a trace of white at his temples, looking exhausted, clutching the trembling box tightly and continuously biting into his own wrist.


    Bright red blood flowed over the cross, emanating a faint golden glow.


    In the church''s backyard fishpond was holy water, but in truth, the bishop''s blood was nearly as potent as holy water.


    The cross soaked in holy blood absorbed it all and shone with light, fully embedded in the box and locked in ce, at which point the shaking box also quieted down.


    It wasn''t until then that the priestpletely rxed.


    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Prevent the cultists'' conspiracy.]


    [Congrattions to the yers forpleting all main tasks. The Script Space will end in one minute, please prepare yourselves ordingly.]


    The game was already over.


    The priestpletely rxed, his tense nerves finally settled, and fatigue and frailty came rushing at him!


    Then, recalling the recent events, the priest could no longer hold back¡ª


    He red angrily at Officer Zhang: "I just asked you to watch the box, and you goddamn forgot about it. Do you think I can hold out for long!"


    The sealing ritual was draining his vitality, the stronger the enemy, the more consumption required; which is why he was so opposed to reaching this final step!


    If he died before the sealing wasplete, there would be nowhere for him to cry!


    Officer Zhang dug at her ears and frowned, "What does that have to do with me? Sealing the Evil God is your church''s own affair. Aren''t you able to handle the full process on your own?"


    "Heh!" the priestughed maliciously: "So this is the level of neglect from the police, huh? If it wasn''t for you being beguiled by that woman and dying, the Evil God wouldn''t havee out in the first ce!"


    Xu Shuo, the one being pointed at, looked innocently aggrieved, her pale and delicate face seemed pitiful.


    We were all here for the task.


    The fact that he had resisted the call of the Evil God without attacking the priest just now was alreadymendable.


    When Officer Zhang heard this, she felt a bit uneasy: "Beguiled? Qiuzi has been very helpful to us, hasn''t she? It was she who told us about the cultists'' base."


    The priest gave her the finger: "Trash teammate! Hope I never encounter you guys again!"


    He had had enough in this Script Space and dropped all pretense!


    [Your performance points have been deducted by ten.]


    [The theater "Dancer in the Dark" has ended, and you will soon leave this world. Please prepare, yers.]


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes to a white expanse of space.


    The game was over.


    A semi-transparent system interface floated before his eyes, disying the title "Dancer in the Dark" on the page, followed by a settlement interface with rows of neatly organized information.


    "They''re all independent missions," Xu Shuo thoughtfully reviewed the details before clicking to collect his rewards.


    [Based on the results of your script performance, you have received the following rewards: Performance points 5520, "Qiuzi" Character Card, special skill "Dark Stealth", and the item "Psychic Power Boost".]


    It seemed there was no difference from thest rewards.


    Xu Shuo opened the "Qiuzi" Character Card. The illustration showed a girl in a white ballet dress, stretching her body. Just as he was about to look at the details of the card''s skills¡ª


    He suddenly remembered something!


    Wait!


    Before entering the game, wasn''t he driving?!


    ...


    Xu Shuo instantly opened his eyes, and in his sight was the expressionless face of a girl who looked a bit like him and also somewhat resembled Qiuzi.


    "...Xi?" Xu Shuo''s thoughts jammed for a moment.


    He looked around and realized the car was no longer moving, but was parked by the side of the rightne.


    Xu Shuo sneakily nced at the car''s clock. He couldn''t quite remember the time when he started the game, but it seemed that only about five minutes had passed.


    There would not be much time disparity in the game, but time in the Script Space flowed consistently with reality.


    It must have been Xu Xi who had pulled over when she realized something was wrong.


    Xu Shuo rubbed his head, apologetically saying, "Sorry, I might have been sleepy due to ack of sleepst night."


    As soon as he finished speaking, his head was lifted.


    Xu Xi was holding his face in her hands, the girl''s face still expressionless, impassively revealing nothing of her thoughts.


    "Brother," Xu Xi spoke softly, her tonepletely t, "you''re the only family I have in this world now. I can''t lose you. I hope you understand that."


    "...I really won''t die suddenly."


    "You just fell asleep outright."


    "Don''t worry, I¡ª"


    "I believe you."


    Xu Xi interrupted him, and earnestly said, "But ever since mom and dad left, you''ve been carrying everything on your own. I can see it, and I really don''t want you to be so tired. If possible, I can start working now."


    It was rare for her to say so much in one go with such earnestness.


    Caught off guard, Xu Shuo smiled and said, "Alright, you cane help me after you graduate from university. For now, I hope you focus on your studies."


    Hearing this, Xu Xi''s gaze dimmed slightly. She let go of him, expressionlessly sat back in the passenger seat, her face still unreadable.


    Though the girl showed no significant emotional fluctuations, her demeanor clearly indicated she was upset.


    Xu Shuo didn''t say anything more, checked the seatbelt again, and restarted the car to continue the journey.


    Xu Xi had wanted to help him share the workload, a desire she had not abandoned since she started high school. Yet, Xu Shuo had his own ideas¡ªfor Xu Xi to genuinely offer assistance, enriching her education and abilities was the best choice.


    Thus, conversations like this always ended without issue, with each sticking to their own resolve.


    ...


    The car re-entered the road without further incident, and Xu Shuo parked near the school. He got out of the car as well.


    Xu Xi had no luggage, carrying her backpack expressionlessly toward the school gates, noticing he was still behind her.


    "I can go in by myself," she said.


    "By the way, I''ve already made an appointment with your homeroom teacher to learn about your academic progress," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    "..."


    Without a word, Xu Xi nced at him, then turned and walked into the school, quickening her pace significantly.

 Chapter 99: Chapter 95: Collapsed Again

    Xu Xi walked ahead to drop off her luggage at the student dormitory and parted ways with Xu Shuo on the main road.


    As she approached the girls'' dormitory building and turned her head back through the lush trees, she saw that figure enter the teachers'' office building.


    He really went to see a teacher...


    Xu Xi pursed her lips, looked away, and climbed up to the sixth floor. She already had the dorm key in hand, only to find that the dorm door was ajar and not fully closed.


    She pushed the door open and walked into the six-person dormitory, where only one figure was hunched over the desk, seemingly asleep.


    It was just that the posture was a bit indecent, the body so askew it was nearly falling out of the chair.


    With light footsteps, Xu Xi put away her luggage and was about to help straighten the figure when suddenly it sat up abruptly as if gasping for breath and opened its eyes!


    Xu Xi paused and stopped in her tracks.


    "Crap." The girl cursed while rubbing her sore neck.


    The next moment, as she realized someone was nearby, she quickly turned to look and saw the expressionless Xu Xi.


    The girl''s face had shown no excess emotion in three years, akin to facial paralysis, but thanks to her delicate beauty and academic excellence, she managed to be very popr at school.


    She was dubbed the Ice Queen by the lively young men and was a regr mention on the school''s confession wall, and the Queen''s method of refusal was equally schrly.


    "Beat me in the monthly test rankings."


    And perhaps out of fear of actually being courted, she perennially topped the ranking list, effectively blocking all their paths!


    Having lived with her for three years, Shao Dandan hade to understand Xu Xi quite well; despite her outward coldness, she was warm-hearted inside and sometimes quite kind.


    By refusing suitors in that way, she inadvertently spurred on the students'' ambition.


    After all, how dare you chase an academic goddess with such poor grades?


    Wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, Shao Dandan managed an awkward smile and said, "You''re back, everybody else went to the canteen for dinner. I was just reading and identally fell asleep."


    Xu Xi, looking at her, calmly acknowledged with a word and then turned to go back to her own bed.


    During the May Day holiday, only Xu Xi had gone home; her grades were good enough that she needn''t worry about the uing college entrance exams, but the others had to make use of the time to review.


    In their six-person dormitory, the living conditions were pretty good: loft beds with desks underneath, a balcony, and a private bathroom and toilet.


    Shao Dandan went to the balcony to wash her face, looking into the mirror on the wall.


    The girl reflected within looked pale, and there was a subtle sense of exhaustion emanating from her, betraying her poor state.


    Staring at her reflection, she felt suddenly that something was off, and the next moment she turned her head sharply to look inside the room!


    Xu Xi had just returned and was organizing the contents of her backpack.


    Feeling the intense gaze upon her, she looked up expressionlessly, then tilted her head slightly to show her perplexity.


    Shao Dandan forced a stiff smile, quickly looked away, and sshed more water on her face, her damp hair hiding her expression as she silently screamed.


    In the game, yers'' memories would be blurred, and they might not recognize people from the real world, but once they left the game, that feeling of vagueness would dissipate.


    Xu Xi looked just like Qiuzi!


    They might not be exactly identical, but the resemnce in their eyes and brows was striking, and when yers referenced this, it made their resemnce skyrocket by assimting characteristics of their avatars.


    Was Xu Xi also a yer?!


    And had she just entered the game with her?


    Shao Dandan was profoundly shocked, feeling a bit at a loss.


    She thought about Qiuzi''s tea-scented demeanor in the game, then about Xu Xi''s facial paralysis andck of emotion, and her generally helpful nature, realizing it was impossible to associate the two as the same person!


    But they looked so simr, didn''t they?


    Even if not the same person, there must be some connection!


    Shao Dandan finished washing her face and returned to the dorm room, looking with an indescribable expression at the girl with an impassive face, who had finished organizing her things and was now looking at her phone.


    Xu Xi looked up again, puzzled, and asked her, "What''s wrong?"


    "Well..." Shao Dandan tentatively probed, "Xi, do you... have any sisters at home?"


    "No," Xu Xi said calmly.


    "Really none? Not even a cousin?" Shao Dandan kept a sharp gaze on her, repeatedly asking with prating eyes.


    Xu Xi''s eyes dimmed slightly, but her tone remained utterly unfluctuating, "None, I only live with my brother."


    Hearing this, Shao Dandan recalled that Xu Xi indeed had a brother, whom everyone in the dorm had seen a few times, and knew that they depended on each other in life.


    But the idea that Xu Xi''s brother might be Qiuzi was somehow even harder to ept than the idea that Xu Xi herself might be Qiuzi...


    Could it really just be a resemnce?


    Shao Dandan did not pursue the matter further, but she still harbored the thought, asionally casting a strange nce at Xu Xi.


    It was toote, she couldn''t go back now.


    Whenever she saw Xu Xi, all she could think about was Qiuzi, filled with that signature Qi.


    The image of that unapproachable ice queen hadpletely shattered!


    Overwhelmed, Shao Dandan copsed, holding her head in her hands as she sat down, thinking about how she had been manipted and toyed with by that little vixen in the game. She was already furious, and seeing Xu Xi, who looked just like her, made her feel even worse.


    With an expressionless face, Xu Xi observed her for a moment before saying, "I''m going to the cafeteria. If you''re not going, do you need me to bring back food for you?"


    "Thank you," Shao Dandan replied without looking up, her voice filled with dejection.


    After she spoke, she didn''t hear a response but only when the dormitory door was gently closed did Shao Dandan look up again.


    She hurried to the door to open it, peering outside stealthily, then closed it once again after watching Xu Xi''s figure disappear into the stairwell. She then locked the door.


    Shao Dandany straight in bed and entered Script Space.


    ...


    Unlike Xu Shuo''s nk Script Space, Shao Dandan''s had floors and wallpapers, along with a sofa and a table, looking like a simply decorated small room.


    She quickly opened her yer''s Handbook, flipping to thest page, only to find that "Dancer in the Dark" was still under production and not avable for review yet.


    Seeing this, Shao Dandan had no choice but to exit the "Performed Scripts" section, but she didn''t leave Script Space. Instead, she decided to wait patiently, as the production process generally wasn''t very long.


    She opened the forum and used the search function to check for posts rted to "Dancer in the Dark."


    There were quite a few posts; after all, as a low-level script, many yers had yed this Scripted Murder Game, and some experts had evenpiled plot reviews and game guides.


    Shao Dandan had already yed through this script, so she was purely killing time reading these posts, intending to see how others'' experiences ying the role of "Xuena" were.


    But the more she read, the more she felt that something was off.


    No one had told the story from "Qiuzi''s" perspective!


    There were many yers, and in the forum posts, there were perspectives from "the priest," "the police officer," "Xuena," and "Teacher Changying." But there was no "Qiuzi"!


    Wait, Teacher Changying was also a yer?


    Confused, Shao Dandan''s face frowned. After the script settlement, she saw the list of four objectives and the entire plot, but she couldn''t think of any objective rted to Teacher Changying.


    It was then, as she racked her brain, that her eyes suddenly widened as if a bolt of lightning had streaked through her mind. She remembered the incident a few days ago when a script was removed!


    At that same moment, a new post about "Dancer in the Dark" suddenly appeared in her search results.


    [Shocking! Another script "The Dancer" has been removed!]


    Shao Dandan: "???"

 Chapter 100: Chapter 96: Dont Put Too Much Pressure on College Entrance Examination

    Xu Shuo had indeed contacted Xu Xi''s homeroom teacher before his visit. Being a senior year homeroom teacher, Mrs. Liu''s work was extremelyplicated, which is why she stayed at the school over the holiday instead of going home.


    The college entrance exam was imminent, and it was she who had earnestly advised Xu Xi to stay at school for revision, but she failed to keep her there.


    There was only one month left, and even top students shouldn''t be so carefree!


    Mrs. Liu was a somewhat stern but not harsh middle-aged woman. After discussing Xu Xi''s academic performance with Xu Shuo, she said with a hint of helplessness, "She has always been very diligent in her studies. I know we should not exert too much pressure on senior students, but I am a bit worried..."


    She was also aware of the siblings'' family situation. It was not easy to afford Xu Xi''s education at a key high school, and she hoped the girl would not disappoint her brother''s expectations, so she tended to push even harder.


    Xu Shuo nodded calmly and then said, "I''m not worried about her academics. It''s just, we need to fill in the college entrance exam preferences soon, right?"


    Hearing this, Mrs. Liu''s thoughts paused, and her gaze suddenly became alert, "You mean..."


    "Yes, that''s the reason I came to see you today."


    ...


    Xu Xi knew her brother liked to see her good grades, so she typically did not hesitate to disy them, always ranking at the top in monthly exams.


    She was reading with dedication, earnestly striving for good results.


    Although she was not adept at expressing her emotions, she could channel them into her actions.


    At the entrance of the school cafeteria.


    It was now evening, people wereing and going at the entrance of the cafeteria, and the air was filled with the smell of food and cooking.


    Xu Xi stood there expressionlessly, her hair tied into low twin ponytails, wearing a in white T-shirt and denim jeans. Her delicate and beautiful face and attractive figure still drew the gaze of many boys.


    Some wanted to strike up a conversation, but were deterred by the girl''s icy demeanor.


    Especially after hearing frompanions that she was the "ice mountain top student goddess" who deemed those who couldn''t surpass her in monthly exams unworthy of talking to her, everyone''s gaze became even more reverent.


    Rumors had unwittingly turned into this.


    But Xu Xi remained calmly standing at the entrance, unaffected by those looks or words.


    Her gaze passed over the flower beds and trees, focusing only on the direction of the office building. After a long wait, only when she saw a familiar figure emerge from below the office building did Xu Xi''s expression show a slight change.


    Rarelying to a high school, and also considering it was dinner time, Xu Xi decided to treat her brother to a meal at the cafeteria!


    The food here was actually quite delicious.


    ...


    Exiting the teachers'' office building, Xu Shuo unlocked his phone to reply to a few messages on WeChat. After that, he looked up in the direction of the cafeteria.


    The school was located in the suburbs, so it upied arge area. There weren''t many buildings, but there were a lot of greenndscapes and gardens.


    Xu Shuo turned towards the cafeteria. Passing under a teaching building, he already saw Xu Xi''s figure. However, in the next moment, he abruptly stopped in his tracks¡ª


    Thump!


    A figure fell from above,nding right in front of Xu Shuo!


    Blood sttered in all directions at that moment, stopping just an inch from his shoes.


    Xu Shuo looked at the person who had suddenly fallen, then lifted his gaze to the teaching building in front of him.


    The evening sky was lit with a soft glow, the gentle sunset tinged with golden light. The sky wasn''t ring, and there were no suspicious figures silhouetted against the light on the rooftop.


    The person who fell was a boy, dressed in a blue school uniform. Along with him, a few books had also plummeted to the ground, now tainted by the spreading blood.


    Do all senior high school students face such immense pressure...


    The people around who witnessed the scene let out piercing screams, and in the chaos, Xu Xi hurried over and fiercely grabbed Xu Shuo''s hand, anxiously examining him.


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo said, "I''m fine, I wasn''t hit."


    Xu Xi breathed a sigh of relief and then turned her head to look at the figure lying on the ground, limbs twisted into an inhuman shape, and frowned slightly.


    This was already a crime scene, so the two of them backed away a little and stood under the eaves of the teaching building to wait.


    After taking a good look at the boy who had fallen down unexpectedly, Xu Shuo looked towards Xu Xi and hesitated before asking, "Xi, do you also feel a great deal of pressure from the college entrance exam?"


    Xu Xi, who showed no emotion even after witnessing the crime scene, shook her head and then seemed to think of something, emphasizing, "No."


    After speaking, she thought for a bit, then emphasized again, "My studies aren''t hard."


    Xu Shuo nodded and didn''t ask any further.


    ...


    The books that had fallen with the boy scattered some of their pages, while others remained closed, exposing the covers, which were indeed senior high school textbooks.


    Hey twisted on the ground, his eyes wide open, giving his face a nk expression as blood flowed out from beneath him. Around him, scattered textbook pages and the dimming sunset contributed to a sense of mncholy.


    Xu Shuo turned Xu Xi away from the sight, saying, "Don''t look anymore, it''s not suitable for kids to see too much gore."


    What''s more important is that Xu Xi herself was a high school senior facing the college entrance exam.


    "He jumped with his books," Xu Xi said in a calm voice.


    "It has nothing to do with you," Xu Shuo said.


    ...


    Soon, school security and teachers arrived to guard the scene, some calling the police and othersforting the students who had witnessed the incident, asking them to stay at the scene for the moment.


    Given it was an incident at an academic institution and with the college entrance exams approaching, journalists arrived as quickly as the police did. Experience more tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    Nevertheless, this was a school corridor, and there was a security camera on a light pole nearby. If there were no additional problems, the results shoulde out quickly.


    At least they wouldn''t be tainted with too much suspicion.


    Xu Shuo paid no attention to the media that tried to interview him. Although he was from another school, in the surveince footage, he was just someone who happened to pass by and almost got hit by misfortune. After being questioned by the police, they let him go.


    But the back and forth had dyed them by more than an hour, and the food in the canteen had gone cold.


    It was unclear whether it was because she had witnessed life passing before her eyes, or because she hadn''t been able to eat the hot food, but Xu Xi''s mood seemed somewhat down.


    Xu Shuo consoled her, "Don''t take it too hard. Every year the news has a story or two about someone who couldn''t handle the pressure. Just stay calm."


    "Mhm," Xu Xi responded softly, then added, "I am confident."


    After all, she was the top student who had dominated the monthly exams for two years so as not to get distracted by rtionships and still dared to go home to y even close to the college entrance exam; naturally, she wasn''t worried about her own grades.


    After eating in the canteen, the sun had set and the sky was tinged with a haze of blue, as Xu Shuo prepared to leave.


    Before leaving, he sent another message to Mrs. Liu.


    Because of the sudden incident at the school, many teachers had not gone home, either busy dealing with the media and police or upied with consoling their senior students, hoping they wouldn''t lose hope.


    Thus, not long after Xu Xi had returned to the dormitory, she was called to the teachers'' office.


    ...

 Chapter 101: Chapter 97: Your Dark History has been Blocked

    ```


    The school incident was dealt with veryte into the night; a group of police officers, a pile of journalists, and a few leaders came, and eventually, it was concluded with the excuse of "too much pressure."


    Xu Xi had sat in the teacher''s office for half a day; she almost couldn''t help but yawn when Mrs. Liu finally ended her lecture.


    It was unknown what exactly her brother had discussed with the teacher, but somehow the teacher had be incredibly sensitive, what began merely asforting her psychology turned into reminding her about the imminent final monthly test, hoping she would continue to maintain her grades.


    Of course she would maintain her grades.


    Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin


    When Xu Xi left the office building, the school''s streetmps were very bright and there were still many students passing through the campus paths.


    She hadn''t had a hot dinner that evening and had failed to fulfil her promise to bring Shao Dandan her meal all because of the figure that had suddenly fallen.


    The bloodstains under the teaching building had been cleaned uppletely, leaving no trace of the incident.


    But the students who knew about the incident were still afraid to walk that path for a while; even those who did would intentionally avoid that spot as if there was an invisible wall.


    Xu Xi didn''t need to pass by that ce to return to her dorm; she just stood from a distance and nced over, her calm face and eyes revealing no sign of agitation.


    After a long while, she finally turned and left.


    ...


    Dim clouds slowly obscured the half-moon, and as the night deepened, the young couples who had been out on dates hurried back to their dorms before curfew.


    When the entire school was submerged in darkness and silence, a tall figure walked under a streetmp.


    He looked up at the moving surveince, took out his device and activated the jamming equipment, then stepped out from the blind spot and arrived under the teaching building.


    The young man was dressed in a ck hooded sweatshirt, slim in build, his features obscured by the night.


    The spot where he stood was precisely where the male student''s body had been found. He then looked up at the tall building, clicked his tongue, and began to trace his hand through the air.


    A semi-transparent frame appeared.


    [Extracting in progress...]


    Like aputer''s loading bar, the percentage numbers rapidly changed, and the blue bar gradually filled up below.


    [Extractionplete, processing...]


    A new frame oveid the old, presenting a new loading bar.


    The young man waited in ce, a little bored, he took out his lighter and lit a cigarette, then turned to look around¡ªthe school''s greening efforts weremendable, with rustling trees all around.


    In the dead of night, the pathsy empty, only the lonely wind carried the wisps of smoke into the distance.


    He finished the whole cigarette by the time the new progress bar finished loading.


    [Creationplete.


    [Your new "Crimson Dusk" script is rated level one, and ssified as "ssical," "Modern."


    [Now in the theater, with current yers logged in: 0.]


    "Just level one..." the young man voiced his disdain in a low murmur, "Shouldn''t there be some big event happening at the school to produce more than a level one ''ssical'' script?"


    Urban legends nearly always involved school incidents, especially those that rank top are the ever-changing high schools!


    And this is it?


    The young man lit another cigarette, exhaled a deste smoke ring, then casually crushed the cigarette underfoot and walked away.


    Halfway through, he remembered this was a college premises so he reluctantly went back and picked up the two conspicuous cigarette butts from "the former location of the body."


    After he departed, the night remained silent, as if nothing had ever happened here.


    ...


    ...


    ```


    The following morning.


    Xu Shuo had a good night''s sleep, a rarity for him. He hadn''t stayed upte and, after dropping off Xu Xi, he went home to rest.


    After all, he had been busy for several days straight, and he was starting to worry about his own health.


    Early in the morning, after eating the frozen buns he bought the night before, Xu Shuo checked the time, set an rm, and then entered the Script Space.


    He hadn''t checked his rewards from thest game yet.


    "Qiuzi" Character Card, the image was of a girl stretching her body like a swan, her pose graceful.


    Xu Shuo''s expression remained calm. He treated the image as if it were Xu Xi, so he wouldn''t feel awkward looking at himself in drag.


    [Qiuzi Character Card: While transformed into a dancer, you can use the "Bewitching" ability to raise the target''s fondness of you by 100 points. The actual oue of the skill activation depends on the situation. Ineffective against holy positions and the Power of Faith.]


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    He felt there was something off about this skill, especially thest part. What kind of oues would the skill activation have?


    Why couldn''t a single Character Card be straightforward?


    Although the skill to increase fondness seemed quite significant, it could create a dilemma and helplessness for someone like Officer Zhang during the game.


    After looking it over, Xu Shuo moved on to the new skill.


    [Special Skill "Dark Stealth": Darkness is your shadow, and your shadow is your stride. With this skill, you can move and change freely in any ce with shadows, sneaking through the darkness (skill upgradeable).]


    Xu Shuo knew this one. As Qiuzi, he had often run through those dark, sticky substances.


    It was a space of cold, enveloping darkness, as if moving beneath the ground while sneaking, but actually, it was in another peculiar space, probably rted to the Evil God, and he could even sense the outside world.


    He just didn''t know what it would be like to use it in other ces.


    Thinking this, Xu Shuo subconsciously turned his head to look around, but the area was nk, with only two footprints below belonging to his shadow.


    He would have to experiment on another asion.


    Xu Shuo had realized long ago that he couldn''t use the skills he acquired in the Script Space in the real world; even during the game, he could only use the "Character Card" and not the "Special Skill."


    He didn''t know if it was because he hadn''t reached a high enough level to unlock the limitations or because of different world mechanics. Xu Shuo hadn''t yet had time to research this.


    Recently, he had been really busy, and he was still focusing on his life in the real world. After all, the game couldn''t provide him with money.


    Why couldn''t the shop sell real currency?


    Xu Shuo thought discontentedly. After viewing his gains, he casually used up the "Psychic Power Boost" card and then opened the yer''s Handbook to check the Performed Scripts.


    Then, he was stunned.


    He had intended to look at the film clips from this time but, to his surprise, he found the "Dancer in the Dark" listed as "unavable" just beneath the sealed script for The Fifth Hospital.


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    It couldn''t be... could it?


    At this moment, Xu Shuo couldn''t tell if he was relieved or what he felt exactly, but not having his embarrassing moments disyed to the public was a stroke of luck.


    After noticing that Qiuzi''s traits turned out to be especially enchanting, he simply made the most of it¡ªafter all, it was a waste not to use them.


    After confronting Lanruo face to face and not receiving apleted mission notice, Xu Shuo guessed that the true murderer was probably the culprit behind everything.


    Indeed, the memories passed down by the Character Card confirmed that Lanruo had killed Qiuzi, but if that wasn''t enough, then it must be the work of the Evil God who had given Lanruo the power.


    Xu Shuo had to follow this path to the end, even though the process was somewhatcking in dignity.


    So now, facing the news that the script was "unavable," Xu Shuo first took a deep breath of relief, regardless of the reason!


    His dark history was preserved!

 Chapter 102: Chapter 98 Hong Rao

    If you want to know what happened, just take a stroll through the forum.


    Xu Shuo entered the Script za, and he didn''t even have to search for the keywords. The top trending post was about the "Dancer in the Dark" incident, still released by that familiar well-known blogger conducting the investigation.


    He first checked out what the script''s plot was.


    The protagonist is a police officer in a small city engulfed in darkness, where the frequent disappearances of young girls ur alongside the eerie discovery of strange dog corpses and cryptic messages. Behind these events appears to be the dark turmoil from decades ago, prompting the officer to start investigating.


    In plot one, a girl in the dance studio is suspected to have been murdered; the officeres into contact with the "Swan Lake" ballet troupe.


    In plot two, the police are attacked by an unknown force, leading the officer to encounter the church''s power.


    In plot three, the ultimate battle at the ruins'' altar.


    So far, there seems to be no problem; the plot and the direction in the game are roughly the same.


    However, Xu Shuo noticed a very important issue.


    This is a four-yer script, with yable game characters being the police officer, priest, dancer, and dance instructor.


    Fuck! He ran into the wrong body again!


    The police officer represents humanity, tasked with uncovering the true reasons behind the girls'' disappearances.


    The priest embodies the church''s power, shes with the cultists in a battle of faith, and is tasked with preventing the descent of the Evil God.


    The dance instructor''s mission is opposed to the other two because she is a cultist, tasked with offering the most suitable sacrifice at the ritual of the Evil God.


    The dancer is that sacrifice, her only mission is to fulfill herpetitive spirit; it sounds simple, but she is actually the one most stuck in the mire, existing as the Vessel for the Evil God.


    Qiuzi? Experience more tales on m v|l e''-NovelBin


    Qiuzi''s existence serves merely to increase the difficulty of the dance instructor''s task. After all, if the wrong sacrifice is chosen, it would be all over.


    Necrophages cannot be a sacrifice.


    Without Xu Shuo, Qiuzi would just be an unusually appealing Necrophage in transformation.


    Although, when that iplete form of the Evil God first appeared, it seemed to want to devour Qiuzi even more than it did Xuena...


    Xu Shuo stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.


    He wondered why he had ended up in the wrong role.


    Wasn''t this system bug a bit too much?!


    Xu Shuo pulled down the thread and continued reading. After the blogger had thoroughly exined the plot of "Dancer in the Dark", they began to specte on the reason for its removal.


    As everyone knows, there are only two reasons: either a character has Awakened, or the script has copsed.


    But this time, whether it''s because all four yers were extremely cautious, or because they have all been killed off in the script, no yer hase forward to im they were part of this incident at the theatre.


    So everyone could only guess.


    [It must have copsed.]


    [Yeah, that world should have copsed long ago.]


    [I''ve seen others y it; one time, they identally released the Evil God, which directly killed three yers, and only the dance instructor survived.]


    [I''ve seen that script too, it''s really tragic!]


    [Such a dangerous script should have been upgraded to a higher level long ago, why is it still lingering at a low rank?!]


    [Exactly! It''s making me anxious every day, worrying I might pick up this script.]


    [It''s not that bad... As long as the three yers are aware, they won''t really let the dancer be sacrificed.]


    [But what if you''re unlucky enough to meet idiot teammates?]


    [¡­]


    That''s hard to say.


    The discussion in the thread was heated, and unlike the removal of "The Fifth Hospital" from thest time, most lower-rank yers cheered due to the danger posed by "Dancer in the Dark".


    Whether it was a character awakening or the script copsing, everyone was relieved it was taken down!


    yers have levels, and naturally, the scripts do as well.


    Xu Shuo checked his personal panel and saw that he was still a tiny level one newbie with only a tutorial script for neers in his Performed Scripts.


    That tutorial script, after all, said "no level" on it.


    It was, after all, a newbie tutorial that would disy system arrows and hold your hand through poisoning and murdering someone.


    So, Xu Shuo used the forum''s search function to check the level of "Dancer in the Dark".


    A level two script.


    Xu Shuo, "?" Are you sure there isn''t something off here?


    He then checked the level of "The Fifth Hospital".


    A level two assessment script.


    My goodness, why treat him, who had juste out of the tutorial, like this?!


    Scripts are categorized into assessment scripts and normal scripts. yers encounter the corresponding assessment script when they level up; for instance, when rising from level one, they receive a level two assessment script¡ªpass it, and you''re promoted to a level two yer.


    Suddenly, Xu Shuo felt incredibly honored!


    After a quick browse on the forum and learning that "running into the wrong body and crashing the script has been pulled from the entirework," he stopped paying attention and switched to the exchange mall.


    He had amassed 10,000 points of interpretation value, enough to start buying things here.


    Xu Shuo had already taken a fancy to a game propst time, and now that he had enough money, he could finally afford to get that item.


    But just at that moment, a system message suddenly popped up in the corner of his eye.


    [You have a new friend request.]


    A friend request?


    But there isn''t even a friend list in the yer''s Handbook!


    Xu Shuo was startled for a moment, then opened the box to see the details. [yer Hong Rao requests to add you as a friend.]


    Hong Rao? He had some recollection of the name¡ªit was the first to lie down in his list of followers.


    After pondering for a bit, Xu Shuo epted the friend request.


    Soon, another person was added to his attention list. When he clicked on the attention list, it disyed "[Mutually following]" with Hong Rao and also showed an icon of a dialogue box for sending messages.


    Is this what being friends meant?


    The system was quite sparing with its interface.


    [Your friend "Hong Rao" has requested to visit your personal space.]


    Xu Shuo was in the middle ofining when a new system message appeared, revealing information that caught him by surprise.


    Visiting personal space must meaning over here?


    This just got interesting.


    Xu Shuo quietly stared at this system prompt for quite some time, a smile with an indistinct meaning curling on his lips before he clicked to ept.


    In an instant, the semi-transparent system box disintegrated into light particles that fell to the ground, gradually forming a doorframe about one person tall.


    The doorframe was surrounded by intense light, making it impossible to see what was on the other side.


    But soon, a woman dressed in a ck tight-fitting cheongsam stepped out from the Light Gate.


    There was nothing particrly special about the woman except for azy and mysterious aura around her; her curly, wavy, long hair pinned up on her shoulder, and her face, seductive and mboyant, wore a faint smile.


    She casually surveyed the space and then focused her gaze on Xu Shuo, the smile on her face growing deeper.


    "Hello, I''m Hong Rao, ''Rao'' as in enchanting," she said softly, her voice low and mellow.


    "I''m Xu Shuo, ''Shuo'' as in Shuo Yue," Xu Shuo returned with a smile.


    Hong Rao stared at him, dark purple eyes shimmering, their meaning unclear, her face wearing an enigmatic smile.


    After a moment, she parted her lips slightly, "To directly mess up two scripts like that, you''re quite something~"

 Chapter 103: Chapter 99 Who Would Pay Attention to a Plain Newbie?

    Xu Shuo''s eyes dimmed slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "What do you mean?"


    "Don''t be nervous." Hong Rao curved her lips into a smile that was captivating in a unique way, "Just listen to my spection first¡ªbut why is there nothing here? It''s a bit too clean, isn''t it?"


    As she spoke, she took a couple of steps forward, looking around as if searching for something to sit on, but all there was to see was a ringly white, light-emitting, barren space.


    Xu Shuo noticed a hint of disdain in her eyes.


    "Isn''t it like this for every neer''s Script Space?" Xu Shuo said.


    "It is indeed," Hong Rao walked up to him and waved her hand, summoning a semi-transparent system frame.


    It was the shopping interface. She tapped on the page skip button, scrolling to over two hundred pages.


    She then said, "Actually, neers'' personal spaces are all self-decorated. You can think of it as ying... The Sims?"


    While speaking, Hong Rao purchased a sofa from the shop, then, as if ying a decorating game, dragged the small icon outside. Once she released it, the icon automatically erged and turned into a real sofa.


    Xu Shuo watched silently and said, "The shop has nine hundred and ny-nine pages, I just couldn''t be bothered to flip through them."


    "Pfft." Hong Raoughed and sat down on the sofa, "The shop really is troublesome without a categorization feature. But, is that all? You seem to invest very little effort in this game."


    "You can''t make money here anyway," Xu Shuo said, and naturally took a seat on the sofa someone else had purchased.


    Skills and items from the game were utterly useless in reality.


    "You can''t make money, but you can save your life," Hong Rao said meaningfully as she looked at him.


    Xu Shuo didn''t respond, and Hong Rao shifted her gaze away, waving her hand to bring up another system screen that disyed Xu Shuo''s personal panel from an observer''s perspective.


    Between yers, one could only see the other''s level, Performed Scripts, fan count, and other basic information that was not privacy-sensitive.


    Hong Rao opened his Performed Scripts tab, but it only showed "Rainy Night Vi," with nothing else underneath the long empty list.


    "Let me start from the beginning," Hong Rao crossed her right leg, leaningzily on the sofa as she spoke leisurely, "After neers enter the Script Space, they''re harvested by the space for a period of time. After finishing the tutorial script, the interval until the next game is only one day.


    "The usual script performances end with a production time of at most one hour. The start time for ''Rainy Night Vi,'' which you participated in, was three days ago at noon.


    "I''ve seen that script, and with your performance, you should have met the requirements for a Level One yer''s assessment.


    "This means that the assessment script for you as a neer should havee online at thetest by the next day''s afternoon.


    "Of course, even if my guess is wrong and you didn''t meet the assessment conditions, the second script would stille online the next afternoon. That''s the inevitable process for neers."


    Hong Rao''s voice was slow, soft, andforting to listen to. She didn''t look at the person beside her and stretched her hand out to open the system forum.


    Xu Shuo showed little reaction, his face bearing the same faint, calm smile as if he were listening to something that didn''t concern him.


    The open forum disyed posts about "The Fifth Hospital" being taken down.


    Hong Rao pushed the system panel in front of him and continued, "This script was an assessment script, but for advancing to Level Two. Although you shouldn''t have received it by rights, the time it was taken down matches almost exactly with when you would have done your second script."


    "And at this time¡ª"


    Suddenly, she turned her head, leaning in close to Xu Shuo, her amethyst-colored eyes bearing a mysterious smile, "I didn''t see your second scripte online, but you''ve advanced to a Level One yer."


    Xu Shuo looked down at her slightly, a wisp of a delicate fragrance wafting over from the woman, reminiscent of jasmine, as calming and rxing as her voice.


    He chuckled, "What if the system had a bug? I did not participate in the second script as you said the day before yesterday."


    Hong Rao''s lips curled subtly, she straightened her posture, then shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe it was a bug."


    She didn''t specifically say what kind of bug it was.


    "Once a rookie passes the assessment script and bes a first-level yer, they gain the authority to autonomously enter the game, though their rest time is still only one day, it is much more rxed," Hong Rao continued, turning her head to look around as if she was ufortable with the stark nkness of the ce.


    "What do you mean by ''harvest'' time?" Xu Shuo suddenly interrupted her conjecture to ask.


    "It''s that period just after you join the game, when they squeeze you like crazy. It''s only after advancing to higher ranks that the rest time intervals start to increase," she exined.


    Hong Rao then opened her own system and took out two cups of tea from her store''s backpack, offering one to Xu Shuo beside her.


    "Don''t change the subject," she sipped her tea and continued, "Yesterday was the third day, and with the intensity of a newbie''s games, you would have to enter a script again.


    "And if you entered at the veryst second of your rxed time, considering the production time after the script ends, your third script should have gone live yesterday evening.


    "Surprisingly, ''Dancer in the Dark'' also crashed at that time.


    "And yet, no new performed scripts appeared for you."


    Hong Rao raised her eyes, looking at him with a half-smile.


    "Are you done speaking?" Xu Shuo asked.


    "Mhm," recalling her own words about not interrupting, the smile in Hong Rao''s eyes deepened, and she responded with a sound.


    Xu Shuo ced the untouched tea on the sofa, propped his chin with his hand, and looked at her, saying, "I have a question, why have you been paying attention to me since the very first moment I joined this Script Space?"


    The premise of all these conjectures could only be that she had been watching him from the beginning to notice the bug that arose due to a timing issue.


    After a yer''s performed scripts are posted to the list, there''s no detailed onset time, preventing others from guessing how long a yer has stayed in the Script Space or when exactly they joined.


    It was even impossible to deduce just how long the Script Space had existed!


    For Xu Shuo, without a specific onset time for his performed scripts and without others paying much attention to him ¡ª perhaps others might just think he was a neer who had entered the Script Space yesterday.


    After this, as long as Xu Shuo acted quickly, sessfully producing a script that wouldn''t crash, the problem would naturally be solved!


    After all, who would watch a in and unremarkable new yer every minute and second?


    So, for what purpose was this woman here?


    "That question..."


    Hong Rao took another sip of tea, her gaze drifting to Xu Shuo''s personal panel, then she suddenly said, "I suppose I''m your first fan. Haven''t you ever checked me out?"


    Xu Shuo nced at her, "What''s there to see?"


    "Those words truly hurt..." she murmured, but her face quickly lit up with a bright smile once more, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him and said,


    "Because I want to take you on as my student~"

 Chapter 104: Chapter 100: Fourth-Level Death Script

    Xu Shuo silently watched her.


    After a moment of silent eye contact, Hong Rao pushed her hair back and said with a gentle smile, "All right, then you keep listening."


    She opened her personal panel from her own point of view and moved it in front of Xu Shuo. The yer level disyed was "Level 4," and she had over six hundred thousand fans, following a few hundred people.


    Hong Rao said, "Back to the previous topic, after yers level up, the game''s rest time also gets longer. Actually, after yers reach Level 4, they can also change their profession."


    Xu Shuo''s gaze flickered, "Change profession?"


    "Yes, they can be mentors, responsible for teaching neers." Hong Rao nodded andzily yed with her curls as she spoke, "With students under you, a mentor yer only needs toplete one Scripted Murder Game a year, which is why I want to take on students."


    "Because the higher the level, the more dangerous the scripts you experience?" Xu Shuo remembered when he was reading posts earlier, some yers called for the dangerously scripted games not to linger at the low stages.


    However, dangerous scripts are something that yers at any stage would not like to encounter.


    Hong Rao affirmed, "Although the rewards are high, high-rank yers actually have a higher death rate than low-rank yers, especially during assessment scripts. Otherwise, why do you think Script Space is always bringing in new yers?"


    As she uttered thest sentence, the smile on her face faded, and the dark purple in her eyes deepened.


    Hearing this, Xu Shuo stared at her personal panel for a while. Beneath her level, her performance value had reached an astounding one million!


    He had only yed three games and had just barely reached ten thousand.


    ording to discussion threads on the forum, the longer you spend in the game, the deeper the impact on your spirit, and this effect umtes and even carries over into reality.


    Although he didn''t know exactly what this impact was, many people were reluctant to spend too much time in the game.


    Could this be the reason why the system always gives out an item like "Psychic Power Boost 10 points" after each game ends that seems to have little use?


    Xu Shuo inwardly scoffed, then asked, "So why did you choose me?"


    Just because he was capable of breaking the game?


    Read new chapters at m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    Hong Rao looked at him, her face once again bearing a bright smile, her bewitching and alluring appearance quite captivating, strangely coupled with the tranquil jasmine fragrance that was especially soothing.


    She smiled and said, "I''ve observed your newbie game. Your style of ying seems to really enjoy having others help youplete quests.


    "Moreover, your actions in the face of unexpected situations are very calm and decisive.


    "I like that about you~"


    The real reason Hong Rao paid such close attention to this man was because of thest scene she witnessed, where, as a newbie, his identity was about to be exposed and he chose to directly kill the opposing yer!


    On the surface, he smiled more gently than anyone else, but behind the scenes, he was quicker to act than anyone else, affable on one hand and pulling out cyanide poison with the other!


    And wasn''t it daring to carry poison on the person, not afraid of being searched by others?


    She even suspected that if a search was actually conducted, it might end up killing one after another.


    This kind of yer who was a bit more ruthless had a way out!


    Hong Rao inwardly eximed, her gaze intensely fixed on him as she continued, "More importantly, your current BUG situation urgently needs cover-up, otherwise the trouble it could causeter on will definitely be more than a little."


    She had said quite a bit, but actually, thest sentence was the key, and she could help him!


    With a serene expression, Xu Shuo looked at her and then let go of the armrest of the sofa he had been leaning on and suddenly leaned forward.


    With a faint smile on his face and staring into her dark purple eyes, he asked softly, "What about you? Don''t you think this BUG is a bit strange?"


    Seeing the young man''s warm and genial smile, Hong Rao momentarily felt bewildered, but she quickly came to her senses, her eyes sparkling with interest.


    He appeared calm to everyone, but, in fact, his thoughts never reached a profound depth, indifferent to everything as an onlooker, whether inside or outside the game.


    He seemed enthusiastic, but was actually colder than anyone else.


    Hong Rao made no effort to keep her distance, drawing closer until their faces were almost touching, their breath mingling in the warm air, the scent of jasmine flowers particrly intense.


    She examined the young man''s features, her lips curling into a small smile, "Little brother, I''ve been in the Script Space for who knows how long, watching this BUG evolve."


    Xu Shuo paused, then looked down at her, "For instance... the shop still doesn''t have a category function?"


    The sudden leap in topic caught Hong Rao off guard; she then pulled away, her brows and eyes curving, covering her mouth as sheughed softly.


    "That''s right."


    For example, the over 999+ pages in the shop were exceptionally infuriating.


    There were even dedicated shop strategy threads in forums, where truly someone had browsed through all nine hundred and ny-nine pages and upwards, and diligently created a guide for the benefit of the yers.


    As long as it was a game, and as long as there were challenging aspects, there would certainly be strategy masters who couldn''t help but arise!


    Clutching her now tepid tea, Hong Rao spoke leisurely, "You should know that Script Space has always been updating and evolving, but I won''t tell you all of this just yet. Having a mentor as a newbie definitely has its advantages, at least you don''t have to grope and figure everything out on your own."


    "Besides that?" Xu Shuo asked.


    "As a mentor, I have the authority to help you select scripts." Hong Rao looked up at him, saying earnestly, "Also, mentors and students canmunicate in the game, and as more permissions open upter, I can even send you items!"


    "And you?" Xu Shuo asked again, "Aside from the interval between scripts."


    "Once a student graduates, I can get a Legendary Level item." Hong Rao smiled and said, "Okay, to be honest, that''s my real goal."


    The rare item could be obtained in game, or, alternatively, when a student graduated.


    And clearly, thetter did not require risking oneself.


    It did not require the mentor to take risks.


    Xu Shuo''s eyes narrowed slightly, "What are the conditions for graduation?"


    Hearing this question, Hong Rao once again dropped her smile, her dark purple eyes looking at him even more seriously than before, "The yer level must reach level four!"


    "I''m not going to hide it, I''m telling you the truth, the level four assessment script has nearly buried half of the yers in Script Space!"


    The gap between level three and level four yers was a huge divide!


    If one were to say where the highest death rate in this game was, it would naturally be the daunting level four assessment script that made every yer go pale!


    Countless yers stumbled at this divide, leading to many level three yerster intentionally suppressing their progression speed, not daring to face this hurdle without being fully prepared!


    After listening, Xu Shuo''s expression did not change in the slightest, toozy to even feign astonishment.


    At that moment, he kind of resembled the stoic Xu Xi.


    Hong Rao didn''t mind, she took a sip of her cool tea, her eyes misted with a dreamy and wistful sentiment, murmuring low, "I''ve mentored five students before, but none of them made it through."


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo''s eyes finally showed a hint of interest, "So I''m the sixth, huh?"


    He made thement in jest.


    Hong Rao: "..." Was it really good to curse oneself like that before even bing a student?

 Chapter 105: Chapter 101: The Affiliated High School Incident

    Xu Shuo''s expression was indifferent, revealing no hint of what he was thinking, and he casually said, "It sounds like bing a student only has advantages and no disadvantages for me?"


    Recovering from her sadness, Hong Rao couldn''t muster a smile, nodded her head, and said, "Actually, although Script Space really likes to squeeze every minute out of neers, the ones who receive the tightest protection are precisely the newbies.


    "Not to mention the nanny-level newbie tutorial, in level one scripts, you''ll hardly encounter any death events.


    "Even if you identally die in the game, you can be revived after the game ends!"


    That is to say, yers who are still at level one are at the golden stage where they can let loose and wildly enjoy themselves without any reservations!


    No need to sneak around, just wildly level up!


    Do whatever you dare to do, and take whatever you want boldly!


    So, that photographer he smothered to death isn''t really dead? ¡ª Xu Shuo suddenly remembered this.


    "What are the consequences of failing a task?" Xu Shuo immediately asked.


    "There are no consequences for level one yers, at most you lose the reward," said Hong Rao while resting her chin on her hand, speakingnguidly: "But once you''re promoted to level two, a task failure will lead you into a penalty game where dying inside means real death. Penalty games are somewhat different from scripted murder games; all sorts of games are avable, and they might even y ''Red Light, Green Light'' with you."


    Yawning, Hong Rao simply went ahead and also told him about the mechanics of the penalty game.


    Hearing this, Xu Shuo couldn''t help butugh lightly: "Just like leeks."


    In the newbie phase, they protect you, cherish you, squeeze out all your value, and then discard you like a worn-out shoe, left to fend for yourself.


    So, what exactly does Script Space want to extract from them?


    Hearing this, Hong Rao nced over and saw his slightly contemtive eyes looking back; she smiled faintly and said, "Don''t overthink it. What use do you have for this information now, and you can''t leave anyway.


    "How about it, do you want to give in? After bing my student, I can also tell you a lot more information~"


    "Let me think about it," Xu Shuo calmly said.


    "What''s there to think about?" Hong Rao sighed and said: "The mentor-student system is entirely designed to escort you newbies; it''s all benefits without any harm."


    "I don''t like being in a team," Xu Shuo responded, his expression still unwavering.


    Upon hearing this, Hong Rao opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more, but at that moment, a piercing bell rang out in the nk space.


    Ding-ding-ding¡ª


    The prating sound arose from all directions.


    This was not a sound from Script Space.


    Xu Shuo''s gaze shifted, and he stood up, saying, "Time''s up, I need to leave."


    "Alright, think about it well."


    Hong Rao''s expression was slightly odd, and she didn''t press any further. She picked up her two cups of tea but didn''t retract the sofa she had put out; with a twirl of her figure, she disappeared in a sh of light.


    Xu Shuo nced at the sofa, hearing the continuous ringing from outside, but he first packed up the system panel and left in a single thought.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    In the old rental apartment.


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes, picked up his phone from the peeling sofa, turned off the rm clock, and then got up and headed directly to the entryway.


    He still had to go to work, and to prevent himself from unknowingly indulging in some crappy forum again, Xu Shuo had set an rm specially.


    After getting up in the morning, he had already prepared his itinerary; now, as soon as the rm rang, he directly picked up theptop at the entryway and left, the whole routine seamless!


    Xu Shuo arrived at the studio on the twenty-third floor today, feeling refreshed and ready to immerse himself fully in work¡ªearn money, earn soul!


    Although Script Space had directly impacted his life safety in some way, Xu Shuo believed that real-life matters were still more important.


    Because that thing couldn''t be exchanged for money.


    However, before getting down to work, Xu Shuo cautiously nced at thest page of the yer''s Handbook. The game countdown had unexpectedly switched to a forty-eight-hour system.


    So far, he had cleared three scripts, and thest two weren''t even at normal levels and now had copsed.


    Xu Shuo looked at his clean "Performed Scripts" list¡ªhis face betraying no thoughts¡ªand shut it down¡ªgetting distracted at work was really inappropriate!


    With so much time to spare, it was better to push the studio''s new projects forward early!


    In the studio, the production of game software was being followed up by Li Ziwen; the operational mode of the offline game store was also being prepared by Li Ziwen; and finally, the various documents regarding gameunches and store openings were being handled by Li Ziwen in contact with public rtions.


    After Xu Shuo finished modifying the new scripts "Mental Hospital" and "Thirteen Girls," he checked the recent operations of the studio and realized that Li Ziwen seemed to be overly busy.


    "Boss, should we hire more people?" Li Ziwen, adjusting his sses, looked at him with a calm expression.


    "Hmm..." Xu Shuo looked at his dark circles that were almost catching up to his own and said, "The game store in Heiyu District will bepleted and go online by the end of the month. Before that, you should organize an operations team first. I''ll handle the appunch matters."


    "You want to transfer me to offline?" Li Ziwen''s expression showed a hint of surprise upon hearing this.


    Given his expertise and capabilities, taking charge of online operations would be the most suitable direction for him.


    "No, it''s just that Pei Sheng wouldn''t handle it well." Xu Shuo said.


    "...Understood."


    Pei Sheng was only suitable for running errands and wasn''t quite fit for management. It wasn''t a matter ofpetence, but rather his mentality and the way he handled things.


    In Xu Shuo''s view, he was still like a rich young master going through a rebellious phase.


    Enjoy new chapters from mvl


    "What''s that? I think I heard you badmouthing me!" Pei Sheng, who had just returned from being busy outside, came in covered in dust and furiously said, "I''m out there conquering worlds for you, and you dare to undermine me!"


    "Is your task aplished?" Xu Shuo, feeling drained, rubbed his forehead and didn''t engage with him.


    "With me in charge, the deal is definitely clinched! Those severalpanies have already agreed to bring traffic to Game City; it''s just that the cost is a bit expensive."


    After Pei Sheng boasted, pping his chest, his eyes darted around and he looked at Xu Shuo with a burning gaze, saying, "But, boss, when I was out running errands today, I also heard something else rted to your sister Xi!"


    Xu Shuo remembered that he didn''t have a sister, only an older brother.


    Then the two looked at each other quietly.


    Pei Sheng waited a long time without getting a response and, feeling disappointed, took the initiative to say, "Something happened yesterday evening at the Affiliated High School. It''s said that a senior student under too much pressuremitted suicide by jumping off a building."


    "I know, I saw the news this morning." Xu Shuo said expressionlessly.


    "But..." Pei Sheng, however, changed his tone and leaned in close to whisper eerily, "The rumors in my circle say that it wasn''t suicide, but homicide! And both the school and the police covered it up!"


    The Normal University Affiliated High School is a prominent institution within the province and even the country, so such an incident attracted considerable external attention.


    Pei Sheng had a widework and obtaining different kinds of information was naturally not hard for him.


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo cast a nonchnt nce at him, "What does that have to do with you, did youmit the murder?"


    Pei Sheng was taken aback, muttering, "Forget it if you''re not interested, why falsely use someone of wrongdoings, I was just concerned about your sister Xi studying there..."


    "Does my sister need your concern? After lunch, hurry up and go supervise the work!"


    "Tsk..."

 Chapter 106: Chapter 102 This World Is Very Ordinary

    After finishing the afternoon''s work, Xu Shuo took a moment to open the news.


    The incident fromst night had already been reported, but it hadn''t caused much of a sensation; perhaps it was because the authorities were deliberately suppressing it on the trending searches, resulting in limited dissemination.


    Thinking of what Pei Sheng had said at noon, Xu Shuo sent a greeting message to Xu Xi, though at this time she was probably still studying.


    Just as Xu Shuo was contemting this, a "ding dong" sounded in response to his message.


    He raised an eyebrow, nced at the reply, and then drafted a text saying, "You''re still ying with your phone during self-study?" and sent it back.


    After a while, as expected, there was no further reply.


    ¡­


    In the Normal University Affiliated High School''s study room.


    Xu Xi looked at the preachy text message with a face void of expression and somewhat speechlessly stuffed her phone back into her pocket.


    You were the one who sent a message to check on me, and you are also the one telling me not to reply.


    "Xi, what''s wrong?" asked Shao Dandan, sitting opposite her, in a probing tone.


    Xu Xi nced at her and said indifferently, "Something happened at schoolst night; my brother is asking whether it affected me here."


    Shao Dandan gave a thoughtful nod, eying the girl''s delicate face, which was as elegant as a bloom, and her otherworldly, cool aura, feeling as though the image in her mind had been salvaged by just that tad bit.


    Now that the script of "Dancer in the Dark" had copsed and the analysis posts on the forums had alsoe out.


    Four yers, Qiuzi was not a yer character¡ªinstead, it was that monster Changying who was the yer character, although there always seemed to be something not quite right¡­


    But, could it really be that Xu Xi was not a yer?


    Shao Dandan had discreetly and overtly tested her many times, but the girl seemed to show nothing out of the ordinary; the only Scripted Murder Game she had ever yed was during the May Day holiday with her best friend at an escape room venue.


    Either she''s an exceptional actress, or she truly is unaware.


    So Xu Xi just happens to look like Qiuzi?


    It felt pretty ufortable to think that a character from the Scripted Murder Game world could bear such a striking resemnce to someone from the real world, especially someone close to her.


    Shao Dandan''s mind wandered as she looked at the review materials, her pen''s tip resting on the notebook only managed to scribble a bunch of meaningless numbers.


    Xu Xi, observing her, suddenly asked, "What''s been going on with youtely?"


    "Ah?" Shao Dandan was startled.


    "Is there something strange about me?" Xu Xi asked with an icy gaze fixed on her.


    Someone unfamiliar with such a stare would only find it oddly unsettling, as if their very being was being pierced.


    Catching on, Shao Dandan awkwardlyughed and said, "Nothing much, just thinking about how I still don''t have a boyfriend as we''re nearing high school graduation, while you, Xi, have had so many admirers for three years¡ªbeing good-looking really is great!"


    Thatst remark was genuinely envious.


    Qiuzi was also very pretty, and everyone doted on her, manipting everyone in the script at her whim, truly a detestable little green tea!


    Wait a second¡ªthis whole affair has ended, the script has copsed, why am I still thinking about Qiuzi?!


    Anyway, I''d never encounter her again in this lifetime!


    Shao Dandan pped her cheeks, widened her eyes, and focused intently on the study materials before her, managing to gather some of her thoughts back.


    Hearing that, Xu Xi remained expressionless and did not respond, simply watching the girl opposite her with a slightly narrowed gaze.


    She still concealed something.


    Lately, Shao Dandan''s behavior towards her had been genuinely odd, at times as if she was looking through her at someone else, and her expressions were incredibly strange,bined with the question the former had asked yesterday¡ª


    It seemed Shao Dandan might have encountered a girl who looked very much like her?


    There were such things?


    But upon reflection, so far this was only the other person''s problem and she wasn''t inclined to inquire further if Shao really didn''t wish to speak of it.


    Xu Xi calmly withdrew her gaze and continued with her review.


    The study room was quiet and tranquil, with only the gentle sound of the students flipping through pages in their full seats.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As the day gradually leaned westward, a busy day quickly passed by.


    After Xu Shuo had finalized the app''s icon design, he nced at the time and leaned back in his chair, worn out.


    The studio really needed to hire someone, they had started small, just testing the waters, but now that they had decided to expand, continuing to pinch pennies was not going to work.


    Xu Shuo stood up, stretchedzily, and walked out of the office with a smile, "You guys have worked hard these days, once the project is at a good stopping point, let''s all go out and rx together!"


    "Yo-he!" Pei Shengughed oddly.


    "Boss, you rarely clock out on time," said the others, seeing him pack up, also teasing him in jest.


    "Well, that''s good, it seems you all don''t n on going out to y," Xu Shuo said, nodding calmly when no one responded to his previous remark.


    "No, no, no! We were just shocked to see the sun rise from the west and didn''t react, sure, we got to y!"


    "I''ll work overtime right now and finish the work for the rest of the month, so I can go out and y sooner!"


    "Right! Nobody is leaving work!"


    The group of young people quickly started to make a ruckus, and Xu Shuo, amused, patted their shoulders and checked the time, "Okay, get going home early, overtime culture is not good."


    "Good heavens, you actually ¡ª"


    Pei Sheng, still holding a grudge from the morning''s incident, was about to continue with his sarcastic tone when Xu Shuo stuffed a biscuit from the table into his mouth.


    Then, he grabbed hisptop and was the first to leave the studio.


    ...


    The only benefit that the Script Space had brought was that it seemed to cure Xu Shuo of his habit of staying up all night.


    Even with that "Psychic Power Boost" and his brain gradually getting used to the drain, each time after finishing a Scripted Murder Game, he felt mentally exhausted.


    As if all his vital energy had been sucked out.


    But, he thought, the Script Space did not seem to be harvesting their conscious spirit for that purpose. If so, it could have directly seized a person and drained them.


    Instead of immersing them in some Scripted Murder Game world.


    More importantly, the power it granted couldn''t be used in the real world.


    Even though it could invisibly pull a person''s consciousness into another world, and even kill them for real in the game, and even grant them different supernatural abilities, it still limited yers from using their powers to interfere with the real world.


    What was so special about this real world?


    Xu Shuo parked his car in a spot by the roadside and looked towards the slowly setting sun in the sky, the twilight sky a beauty rendered by the evening glow.


    This was an ordinary material world; psychiatric patients in mental hospitals didn''t have strange supernatural powers, there were no cultists lurking in the dark city, and no dreadful Evil God emerging.


    At least, Xu Shuo had not heard about any such surreal events urring.


    Of course, it could also be that he simply couldn''t acquire such information. Like the incident that happenedst night at the Affiliated High School, if he had not been on-site¡­


    Xu Shuo shook off these thoughts, quickened his pace, and went up the stairs back to his rented ce.


    After locking the door, he did not head straight to the kitchen to prepare his dinner, but sat on the sofa and entered Script Space.


    In the nk Script Space, the red leather sofa still stood there alone, the only color and object in the ce.


    And as soon as Xu Shuo opened his eyes, a system message popped up in the corner.


    [Your friend "Hong Rao" has requested to visit your personal space.]


    She sure is quick, and persistent. Stay tuned with mvl

 Chapter 107: Chapter 103 Student Killer

    Xu Shuo casually pushed the small pop-up window to the corner and then opened "The Square," entering the world of the forum.


    He didn''t know how long the Script Space and the forum system had evolved, but the fact that even the shops above page nine hundred and ny-nine had been thoroughly explored showed that there were many busybodies around.


    As the saying goes, "The more idiotic theizens, the more joy abound; omniscient and omnipresent!"


    Thus, Xu Shuo first searched for the keyword "using abilities in the real world," and immediately, dozens of pages of posts were listed below.


    Half wereining about this point, while the other half were reveling in schadenfreude.


    Schadenfreude?


    Xu Shuo clicked on those posts with a high number of replies and likes, reading through the yers'' discussions seriously, his expression remaining calm, so calm that there were no emotional fluctuations.


    "[We can totally use our abilities here, haha, maybe it''s because our world is naturally unscientific.]"


    "[They can''t use superpowers over there?!]"


    "[Big cry! I''m so powerful in the game, but still a little weakling in the real world!]"


    "[We can''t use them here either boo hoo hoo...]"


    "[Is it the same ce?]"


    "[Don''t know.]"


    "[There must be some restriction, but anyway, we can use our powers here.]"


    There were many discussion posts because surely there were yers who wanted to use their gained abilities in the real world, yet the yers seemed to be prized.


    Some said they could use their abilities, while others said they could not, indicating that the yers in the Script Space mighte from many different worlds.


    There''s more than just their world out there...


    Xu Shuo''s eyes darkened as he scrolled through dozens of posts, but he didn''t see a single person who described in detail what their own world was actually like!


    He didn''t know if it was being censored by the forum, or for some other reason it couldn''t be mentioned.


    And in the ''non-usable world,'' the only solution yers came up with was that you need to ascend to a Level 4 yer before the privilege to use abilities is unlocked, thereby sessfully interfering with the real world, and even this had many restrictions.


    Low-level yers are not only exploited by the Script Space but are also discriminated against.


    It''s also unclear what the purpose of this thing''s existence really is.


    Xu Shuo closed these posts and nced at the constantly shing pop-up in the corner before typing the two characters "Hong Rao" into the search bar.


    He was initially just curious to try, but to his surprise, there was actually a page of rted posts.


    Thetest post was from this period.


    "[It''s the newbie season again, neers beware the ''student killer''s presence!]"


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and clicked to view it.


    The author of the post narrated with fluent prose, using a multifaceted narrative approach, and vividly described a terrifying ''mentor'' who had taught and subsequently lost more than a dozen students!


    Hong Rao had lied, she actually had fifteen students, and the only truth was that they all indeed died during the Level 4 assessment Script.


    After her job change to ''Mentor,'' she never had a student who sessfully graduated...


    After that, Hong Rao had thought about just making do and taking on a Level 3 yer who had never had a mentor before, maintaining a nominal rtionship to help herplete the ''Mentor Tasks.''


    However, the veteran yers were utterly terrified of her, they all refused and dared not ept.


    Even with the promise of a high reward and the mentor''s channel for cheat-levelmunication within the Script, no one dared to coborate with her.


    It wasn''t fear that she would betray them; it was the fear of her horrifying ability where every student she took on died!


    After all, those who had tried were already dead.


    In the years that followed, Hong Rao turned her sights to clueless neers, attempting to find a breakthrough with them.


    And thus, these advisory posts cautioning newbies started appearing.


    There was also a personal reply under this post.


    "Damn you, Sikong, wait for me! How dare you spread rumors about me, I''ming to visit you right away!"


    The timestamp of the reply was three days ago.


    However, seeing that the post was still there and not deleted, it''s obvious that the person''s visit to confront the rumor-monger didn''t go too well.


    No wonder sheid out all those conditions so attractively yesterday and was so eager to have me be her apprentice on the spot.


    So this was the biggest issue.


    Thinking of this, Xu Shuo chuckled and turned his gaze toward the system pop-up window that was tossed in the corner. He dragged it out and clicked "Agree".


    The familiar Light Gate reappeared, and the woman who stepped out was still wearing that fitted ck cheongsam with silver-white embroidered flowers on the skirt and chest, adding a quiet and elegant charm.


    But Hong Rao''s features were too enchantingly beautiful, and every smile and frown was dazzling. These contradictory qualities on her were even more captivating.


    "Little brother, have you made up your mind?"


    Looking at the young man with the gentle, friendly smile who seemed easy to get along with, Hong Rao blinked and asked while gracefully taking a seat on the sofa.


    Xu Shuo didn''t mind her way of addressing him and just smiled, saying, "I heard that bing your studentes with a considerable reward."


    Hong Rao: "..."


    As soon as these words were spoken, the color drained from Hong Rao''s face!


    She knew it, sure enough, after one night, this man had learned everything!


    Those damn posts!


    Hong Rao tugged at the corner of her mouth awkwardly and said, "Ha, those things, don''t believe them¡­ the fourth-level Script Space assessment is always very challenging, it''s not excessive to have some unpredictable idents."


    Xu Shuo didn''t say anything but continued to give her a smile that wasn''t quite a smile.


    After a while, Hong Rao finally let out a deted humph, slumped onto the sofa, and muttered, "Alright, state your terms. Since you''ve agreed to meet me, you must have some ideas."


    "What''s the reward?" Xu Shuo, sitting opposite her, asked.


    Hong Rao gave him a slightly strange look, this posture made it feel like the two were conducting some kind of business negotiation.


    So she straightened up and said earnestly, "Not only can I assist you after you enter the game, but I will also give you a soul fruit after you sessfully pass the fourth-level assessment!"


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow and asked, "What''s a soul fruit?"


    "It can use your soul to cultivate a ''second body.'' Think of it as an avatar, but it''s much more real," Hong Rao exined thoughtfully. "It''s also equivalent to having a second life. After your current body dies, your consciousness can transfer to the ''second body.''"


    "If you can have a second life, why do those people still not want to work with you?" Xu Shuo followed up immediately.


    "Because when transferring the soul after the original body dies, there might be damage to the essence," Hong Rao admitted a bit sheepishly. "And also, your seniority in the Script Space would reset to zero."


    This was the most critical point.


    The ''second body'' is just a nk te; everything about it depends on the original body. The yer''s Handbook in the Script Space will also be erased along with the death of the original body.


    It''s like all the levels and items that were earned through hard work and risking one''s life are gone in an instant upon transferring!


    It would drive any yer mad!


    So even though many yers have soul fruits as a backup, they still dare not let loose and splurge because one wrong move might lead to aplete downfall!


    Here, besides life, wealth is most important!


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought while Hong Rao watched him, outwardlyposed but somewhat anxious, as she waited for his response.


    After a while, the young man spoke, "Then, can you convert this thing into money for me?"


    Hong Rao: "...?"


    What? Money?


    I thought you would ask me for a Resurrection Card. But money, what the heck is that about?!

 Chapter 108: Chapter 104: Find a Fearless Student

    Hong Rao was taken aback by this answer for quite a while before she came to her senses. Was this guy really so indifferent to the Script Space?


    "However, the money you mentioned, is it currency from the real world after leaving the game?" Hong Rao stroked her chin with her fingertips, her dark purple eyes slightly shifting, exuding a certain charm.


    "Hmm," Xu Shuo responded indifferently with a nod, not avoiding her gaze at all.


    Upon hearing this, Hong Rao''s expression suddenly became strange, and a mysterious smile reappeared in her eyes as she said, "Then that might be impossible, even if I have a lot of money in the real world, I probably won''t be able to give it to you."


    Xu Shuo just looked at her silently, waiting for the second part of her statement.


    Hong Rao curled her lips into a smile: "As for the reason, you can try it out now if you''d like."


    Following that, her red lips parted slightly as if she uttered a few words.


    But at that moment, Xu Shuo''s mind was suddenly filled with a bizarre babble, whose gender and age were unclear, as was the volume¡ªit seemed close yet simultaneously from an indistinct distance.


    Even the woman''s lip movements were unclear, shrouded in an odd mistiness that made it impossible to concentrate!


    This strange babbling reminded him of the Dark Evil God from the previous script, but itcked the oppressive, sickening feeling.


    Xu Shuo felt a stabbing pain in his head and frowned. He raised his hand to interrupt her, saying, "I got it, you don''t have to demonstrate any more."


    yers cannot discuss matters concerning the real world!


    When he brought up using real-world currency, he did indeed have that intention, but he was also testing the waters.


    As a Level 4 yer, Hong Rao could use her abilities even in the "Unusable World", so could the restrictions in this area be rxed for her?


    But now it seemed, maybe there were no restrictions for Hong Rao, but there were for him.


    He couldn''t listen.


    It looked like there was little chance of meeting offline.


    Hong Rao also stopped her incessant chatter, twirling her curly hair with her fingers, and said hesitantly, "If... you really don''t want the soul fruit,ter on, I could try to get you a Resurrection Card!"


    As she spoke, a twinge of pain shed across her expression.


    It was evident how precious this self-exnatory "Resurrection Card" must be, just by its name.


    "But that''s the only promise I can make."


    After making up her mind, Hong Rao seemed a lot more rxed and continued, "If you still don''t want to cooperate, then there''s nothing I can do. The appearance of these things purely depends on luck, and if you''re lucky, you might encounter one in a Low Rank script. If you''re not, you might never get one in your lifetime, just like the drop rate for Character Cards¡ªit''s a lucky yer''s setup."


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo initially thought about how he was dragged into the Script Space, which indicated his luck wasn''t great.


    And having a profile crash with every script he yed, not getting much from the characters, his luck seemed even worse.


    But after hearing thetter part, he paused and suddenly felt¡ª


    Was his luck not that bad after all?


    Are Character Cards really that rare of an item?


    While Hong Rao was speaking, she couldn''t help but take out a cup of tea from her merchant''s backpack to drink. After taking a sip, she suddenly noticed the young man beside her had a peculiar look in his eyes.


    She paused and then realizing his confusion quickly exined, "Oh, a Character Card is a special ability card which yers can earn a chance to obtain by triggering certain conditions in the game. However, the probability is very small, I''ll exin the other stuff to youter."


    Xu Shuo nodded, his expression enigmatic, and said, "Let''s establish a ''mentor-student'' rtionship now then."


    "Alright, you''re not willing¡ªhuh?" Hong Rao suddenly realized what he had said and was taken aback.


    At that moment, what popped into her mind was¡ªafter hearing that she had already "educated" to death fifteen students, he still dared to rush in so decisively. He really was a tough character!


    Immediately, Hong Rao felt happy, swiftly bringing up the system panel, and not long after, Xu Shuo received a prompt.


    [Level 4 yer "Hong Rao" has requested to take you on as a student.]


    Xu Shuo clicked ept, and soon, under his yer level, a new row indicating ''Mentor'' appeared, showing the bond level as primary.


    At the same time, watching her own student panel, seeing that colorful chibi avatar among the gray names, Hong Raopletely rxed, radiating a sense of satisfaction that a great achievement had been made!


    It had been years! She had finally taken on a hard-headed kid!


    Xu Shuo nced at the bond level and withdrew his gaze, casually saying, "For the next script, I need an assessment script."


    Hong Rao was still basking in her joy, radiating an unwitting charm and smiling coyly at him, "I know, I''ve already prepared it¡ªa Level 1 assessment script ''Green-Faced Fangs'', which is considered medium difficulty at the lower levels."


    She stretched out her hand to disy a system panel and then slid it over to Xu Shuo.


    The disy showed an introduction to this script and the main tasks for different characters.


    "Although memories will be blurred after entering the script, if you''re lucky, you might retain some subconscious reactions," Hong Rao said.


    "Didn''t you say that we couldmunicate in the game?" Xu Shuo looked at her.


    Hong Rao tilted her head, her lips curving into a meaningful smile, "We can, but I can only give hints not divulge outright, otherwise, it will be directly blocked. Do you want to try it?"


    After all, if one could really be aware of the storyline in the game and then bulldoze through, probably everyone would be chasing after a mentor without caring whether she ''kills'' students or not.


    Xu Shuo remembered the nonsense he had been muttering a moment ago and shook his head, "I got it."


    He looked at the information for this assessment script, where the entire plot took ce in a small mountain vige that wasn''t particrly remote, centered around mysterious events triggered by a ghost entity known as "Green-Faced Fangs".


    "Mutant Script?"


    "Yes, and no, the method is actually all about logic," Hong Rao said after finishing her tea with a smile, "I''ve sorted out all the props you might need; buy them if you can afford it. Below, I''ve also picked out a y for you that''s performed well; you can watch it when you have time."


    Then, she collected her teacup and stood up.


    "Well, I''m going back now; you can call me anytime if you need anything." Hong Rao drew out a Light Gate with her hand and left in an orderly fashion, her silhouette exuding a springy vibe.


    Xu Shuo nced over but didn''t say anything, returning his gaze to continue exploring the script information.


    ...


    On the other side, in the Script Space.


    Unlike Xu Shuo''s nk area, this ce was decorated like a garden, with a courtyard nted with fragrant white flowers, and a ck vintage vi covered in green vine, filled with a contradiction of mystery and fairytale.


    Having stepped through the Light Gate, back in her own domain, the retainedposure on Hong Rao''s face immediately shattered.


    "That''s great!"


    The woman grinned with delight, clenching her fists and bouncing on the spot in excitement.


    ying the script, ruining the script¡ªthis student will definitely survive a long time!


    Then remembering something, she gleefully opened her personal panel and started to unfollow those few hundred neers she had been paying attention to not long before.


    ...

 Chapter 109: Chapter 105 "Green-Faced Fangs

    ```


    After finishing his next script and casually browsing the forum, Xu Shuo left the Script Space.


    The rental room was pitch-dark, except for some street lights casting their glow through the tightly shut balcony, faintly illuminating the empty space.


    Feeling a hollow sense of hunger, Xu Shuo sat for a while before getting up and heading to the kitchen, taking out some cabbage from the fridge, and leisurely preparing his bted dinner.


    After dinner, he returned to his room and turned on hisptop to continue working. At ten o''clock sharp, his phone chimed with a new message notification.


    Xu Xi had sent a "Good night"; Xu Shuo quickly tapped a shortcut reply and then continued looking at hisputer.


    The two of them didn''t interact much usually. After all, one was studying in school while the other was busy with work. Their messages were mostly terse greetings and a string of "Good night" texts sent at different times, serving to confirm that the other was still alive.


    ...


    The next morning.


    Xu Shuo arrived at the studio early, full of energy to start work. His dark circles had faded significantly, showing that he had recuperated well.


    After eating fast food for lunch, Xu Shuo checked the time, then moved the files off his desk and found a slightly less awkward position to lie down for a nap.


    The countdown on the yer''s Handbook had ended after forty-eight hours. This time, he''d initiate it himself.


    Otherwise, if he were to faint while working, he might wake up in a hospital.


    Xu Shuo clicked on the "Enter Game" icon, and quickly, his consciousness began to sink down as if plunging into the pitch-ck depths of the Deep Sea.


    This time he didn''t suddenly appear in the Script World, but in an absolute darkness where he couldn''t see his hand before him.


    [Your mentor "Hong Rao" has selected the game script "Green-Faced Fangs" for you. Would you like to enter?]


    The only source of light in front of him was a semi-transparent blue panel.


    Xu Shuo looked down at it, but even with the light, he couldn''t see his hands, and reaching out to feel for his body, he touched nothing, as if only his consciousness existed.


    Then, Xu Shuo chose "Enter" over "Random" in the system options.


    ...


    "Green-Faced Fangs"


    In a vige hidden among the mountains, ancient monster legends are passed down. At night, the "Green-Faced Fangs" haunt the fields alongside the trickling waters, mercilessly reaping the lives of night walkers, leaving in everyone''s hearts a hideous and fearsome visage.


    Once you step into the realm of the Abyss, countless people will forge this legend. Can you free yourself from the ghosts within your heart?


    [Main Quest: Capture the Green-Faced Fangs.]


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes and first surveyed his surroundings.


    He was in a spacious room, but the white walls had yellowed and cracked with peeling ster near the floor, exposing the grey cement inside.


    The floor of the house was also made of cement, slightly uneven, but firm underfoot.


    Xu Shuo got up and walked around, looking at the bed he had just been sitting on¡ªamon wooden nk bed found in rural areas. The other furniture in the room also had this retro vibe.


    It felt like... a throwback to the 70s or 80s.


    Such furnishings might still be considered quite affluent in the countryside, right?


    Xu Shuo opened the character panel; his current identity was the son of the Qingliu Vige chief, already in his thirties and still a bachelor. However, since the Old Vige Chief had disappeared a long time ago, he was now in the position of the Acting Vige Chief.


    After reviewing the character information, Xu Shuo was taken aback. He walked over to the table, picked up the red-framed mirror with a pretty woman''s image on the back, and looked at his current appearance.


    Weathered skin, deep-set eyes, and a scruffy beard¡ªhe looked unmistakably like a bad guy!


    Was this really how he looked in his thirties?


    Xu Shuo touched his rather rough face, noticing the distinct simrity in the brows and eyes reflected in the mirror, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.


    ```


    But then again, it''s not like we live on looks alone.


    Xu Shuo set down the mirror, fumbled around the house for a bit but to no avail, and then turned to head outside.


    It was noon, the sunlight was just right, and the terrain of the Vige Chief''s House was slightly elevated, allowing a view that epassed half of the vige at a nce.


    The vige was bordered by mountains on three sides, and a small river flowed down from the mountains, nearly cutting through the entire vige. Sunlight sprinkled down, not far from the lush trees, and below the mountainsy neatly arranged fields.


    Curling wisps of cooking smoke twined above the vige, and the air carried the especially refreshing scent of the forest and wilderness along with the most basic aroma of rice.


    He had just finished lunch, was he here to eat again?


    After a brief look at the scenic vige, Xu Shuo lifted his foot and walked down towards the base of the mountain.


    Being midday, there weren''t many people working in the fields.


    The main road of the vige wasn''t the muddy dirt path kind but one where the ground had beenpacted with concrete. Although somewhat uneven, it was exceptionally firm and steady underfoot.


    The houses of each household, though mostly still red-brick tile houses, included quite a few newly built white-walled bungalows. Even within the vige, there was a well-developed countryside supermarket and farm stays.


    It seemed to be a vige that was developing quite well.


    And all this was due to that thriving "legend."


    Qingliu Vige had a ghostly legend of "Green-Faced Fangs," which, because of its particrly sensational nature ¨C and because the vige had a nice environment ¨C attracted many tourists from outside toe for vacations.


    Besides, the legend''s stature has been intensifyingtely, so much so that it''s touted as almost real outside, drawing evenrger crowds of young people toe and spend their money.


    The vige developed from such tourism.


    ...


    At this time, a white sedan drove on the road outside the vige, bumping along until it stopped at the entrance to Qingliu Vige.


    Two people got out of the car.


    It was April, and a woman in a long-sleeve shirt with a vest jacket, carrying a ck backpack, stood roadside in a businesslike manner and stretched, gazing at the pastoral scene ahead.


    The other person who stepped out was a tall, thin man in a gray trench coat, wearing sses and looking quite refined.


    "Let''s get something straight, don''t interfere with my business," said the man, his face showing some impatience as he looked at the Archway at the entrance of Qingliu Vige with an enigmatic gaze.


    "Alright already, thanks for the lift!"


    The woman cheerfully pped his shoulder, then took out a camera from her backpack and confidently walked ahead into the vige.


    It seemed the two were not together but had just met on the way.


    The main road at the vige''s entrance was long, with fields on the left and mountains on the right, and below the mountain wall was a long stretch of wall coated with white paint.


    About two meters high, the wall was decorated with abstract figures and variousndscape paintings in dazzling colors, like the creative street art found in cities.


    The wall, spanning over twenty meters, still had an unfinished end.


    A young girl in a floral dress stood there with paint and a brush in hand, yet not making a single stroke, her whole being exuding a sense of bewilderment.


    Then, as if sensing someone approaching, the girl turned her head to see the woman approaching.


    "Yo, is this the wall filled with the vige''s legends?" The woman spoke as she raised her camera to take a picture, then casually asked, "Are you the one painting all this?"


    "I painted it," the girl blurted out.


    After saying that, she squinted slightly to size up the woman with a strange aura. Then she turned her head again to look at the man in the trench coat who was also approaching.


    Had the story already begun?

 Chapter 110: Chapter 106 The Real Green-Faced Fangs

    Xu Shuo arrived in the vige, the open square built around the river had already gathered a number of people, who looked to be travelers from out of town.


    It was lunchtime, and vigers, clutching their rice bowls, hade outside to enjoy the show, followed by neatly dressed children, blinking their big eyes curiously at the outsiders. They didn''t have the usual scruffiness of the countryside but instead looked clever and cute.


    "Dai, you''vee."


    As Xu Shuo approached, a six-year-old girl with double buns clutching a rice bowl came up to him, her round cheeks so tender it seemed they would burst with a touch.


    So Xu Shuo naturally pinched her cheeks and smiled, "Go back inside to eat, there''s too much dust out here."


    The little girl, with her cheek pinched, didn''t react much but just tilted her head and looked at him for a while before she scampered back under the eaves of the brick house, standing there and peering out.


    The vigers were actually not surprised by the arrival of travelers, as besides farming and cultivating the fields, they had few other forms of entertainment, so they inevitably enjoyed watching any excitement.


    Now was the nting season, and it wasn''t the weekend, so there weren''t many travelers in the vige.


    Moreover, those travelers who dide usually stayed at the farmhouse fun at the entrance of the vige to fish or went into the mountains and rivers for outings; they rarely came to the center of the vige to find people. Find exclusive stories on mvl


    After all, besides the ordinary fields and houses, there really was nothing special about the vige.


    Only those city folks who had never seen anything would make a fuss over nothing.


    When Xu Shuo walked over, someone who saw him immediately jogged over and said with a sycophantic smile, "Vige Chief, this person ims to be a detective and says that you called him over to handle a matter."


    "A detective?" Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his head to look in a peculiar way.


    It was a man in a gray trench coat, tall and thin, wearing ordinary silver-framed sses, who exuded an elegant demeanor and was clearly an educated person.


    He didn''t look like a private detective, more like a teacher.


    "And there''s another," after pointing out the man in the trench coat, the viger looked toward the woman by the riverside taking photos of the wild bushes and said, "She says she''s a journalist here to interview our vige and can promote this ce!"


    Xu Shuo followed his gaze and took another look, by which time the trench coat detective who had been waiting had already stepped forward.


    "Hello," the man came up and extended his hand, asking with confusion, "Are you the Vige Chief of Qingliu Vige?"


    He seemed far too young.


    Xu Shuo shook hands in return, and with a touch of concern in his voice, said, "No, the Vige Chief is my father, but he has been gone for several months without any word, and I am merely filling the position temporarily."


    "Gone for several months?"


    The trench coat detective paused and the gaze hidden behind his sses became sharp as he quickly asked, "How did he disappear? Where was he before? Didn''t you report it to the police to search for him?"


    Xu Shuo didn''t respond to these questions, withdrew his hand, and said indifferently, "Sir, what are you here for? I don''t recall contacting you."


    Hearing this, the trench coat detective realized he had been too hasty and, noticing the vigers'' eyes growing suspicious, he spoke softly, "The person who called me should be the Old Vige Chief, he wrote me a letter not long ago, mentioning that something had happened in the vige that required my investigation."


    "Oh? What happened?" Xu Shuo also eased his expression and asked with concern, "The old man didn''t tell me about this, can you tell me?"


    The trench coat detective thought for a moment, feeling there was no need for secrecy, and said, "The matter of ''Green-Faced Fangs.''"


    As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding vigers fell suddenly quiet.


    The legend of the "Green-Faced Fangs" was known to every household here; even the people in the towns and cities were well aware of it.


    After all, the tourism industry in Qingliu Vige had developed partly on the back of this legend, seizing the opportunity, the vige had also constructed quite a few promotional columns rted to "Green-Faced Fangs" such as the monstrous statues ced in the fields, and the white wall at the entrance of the vige that stretched over twenty meters.


    As for the story of this legend, even a three-year-old could recite it!


    Xu Shuo said with a smile, "What''s there to investigate about a legend that dates back thousands of years? However, I do need to ask for your help regarding the old gentleman''s disappearance. Why don''t you stay at my ce during this time?"


    The Trench Coat Detective looked at the seeminglyposed middle-aged man, his brow furrowing slightly at the smile on Xu Shuo''s face, then rxed into a nod, saying, "That works, thank you for your hospitality."


    As their conversation concluded, Xu Shuo immediately turned his attention to the female reporter nearby.


    She seemed in no rush to interview the vige, leisurely squatting by the riverside to take pictures of the unremarkable wild grass, thoroughly enjoying herself.


    Thus, to the rural folks, city dwellers make a fuss over trivialities, and to the city dwellers, vigersck sophistication.


    Each disdained the other.


    Xu Shuo didn''t take the initiative to disturb her and casually asked a viger to take the detective to his residence first, then continued walking towards the outskirts of the vige.


    The Trench Coat Detective initially wanted to wander around with him, but after some thought, decided to follow the viger and leave instead.


    The vige''s cemented main road stretched from the Archway at the entrance all the way to the Vige Chief''s House halfway up the hill.


    Xu Shuo walked along the road, passing a field of freshly transnted rice. On the edge of the paddy fields were rows of loofah trellises, and then he saw the girl in the floral dress standing in front of the white wall, daydreaming.


    The girl maintained her daydreaming pose and then, as if feeling his gaze, turned to look at him.


    She blinked and quietly sized him up, judging by his appearance and attire, he must be someone from the vige.


    Neither spoke first until Xu Shuo, pointing to the remaining small section of white wall, asked, "Why didn''t you continue painting?"


    "Ah, I don''t know what to paint next," said the girl with a look of distress.


    "How can you not know what to paint?" Xu Shuo continued to inquire.


    "This... I''ve never seen a real ''Green-Faced Fangs,'' and to paint such a thing is truly difficult," the girl sighed, her expression troubled.


    On the white wall, many splendid things were already painted¡ªstories rted to "Green-Faced Fangs"¡ªbut in those tales, the monster always appeared only in a tiny corner, maintaining a mysterious image, unconsciously drawing people''s attention along the wall.


    And thest section of the white wall was supposed to disy theplete visage of the creature!


    But the girl''s inspiration had stalled.


    "Aren''t there statues in the fields? Just paint it like those; what''s the big deal?" Xu Shuo said calmly, his rough appearance contradicted by a warm and polite smile.


    Upon hearing this, the girl, resting her chin in thought, said, "As an artist, I feel the need to respect the truth. I want to paint the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' as I see it, not as others imagine it."


    "Do you artists always make things soplicated?" Xu Shuo expressed the bewilderment typical of a rural person just in time.


    The girlughed awkwardly but politely.


    If it weren''t for the mission, she would not want to deal with all these troublesomeplications either.


    [Main Quest: Paint the true Green-Faced Fangs.]

 Chapter 111: Chapter 107: The Missing Old Village Chief

    The weather was fine and sunny, with clear mountains and beautiful waters.


    Qingliu Vige truly was a perfect ce for an outing. Xu Shuo walked from the end of the vige to the entrance, surveying every nook and cranny.


    At the same time, he also noticed that many people in the vige seemed to show extra respect to him, the young Acting Vige Chief.


    Initially, Xu Shuo thought his position in the vige would be quite awkward.


    After all, his father, the Old Vige Chief, had disappeared without a trace and was still not found, while he himselffortably upied the position of Vige Chief. There should have been many who disapproved, or perhaps the more senior nsmen would oppose his authority.


    But none of that happened; this was a peaceful and amiable little vige.


    After casually strolling around the vige, Xu Shuo turned around to head back.


    Underneath the whitewashed wall at the entrance of the vige, the girl who had been daydreaming with a paintbrush was no longer there, and as he passed through the center of the vige, he was stopped by the female reporter.


    "Vige Chief!" The female reporter jogged over, her face bearing a professional smile, "What should I call you?"


    "Just call me Acting Vige Chief," Xu Shuo replied.


    The reporter kept her smile and, showing her press card, said, "Acting Vige Chief, I''m a reporter from the local television station. The vigers must have told you that I will be collecting some materials and conducting interviews here for the next few days, and then we''ll promote your vige on our television station. Is that all right with you? Are there any taboos I should be aware of?"


    Xu Shuo nced at her bogus credentials, shed an even brighter smile, and nodded, "Of course, there are no issues at all. It''s an honor for Qingliu Vige that a television reporter is willing toe here for interviews!"


    Upon hearing this, the female reporter''s eyes lit up, and she took out a long pole from her backpack, then mounted a portable camera on top of it.


    She walked up to Xu Shuo, and standing side by side, they faced the camera lens. As if pulling a magic trick, she produced a small microphone and, with a smile, said, "Acting Vige Chief, actually after hearing the legend of ''Green-Faced Fangs'' from your vige, many outsiders are skeptical. What are your thoughts on this legend?"


    Xu Shuo quickly got into the role of the interviewee, seriously stating, "The legend has been passed down from a long time ago, and as descendants, we naturally cannot discern its veracity. One can only say, if you believe it exists, it does; if not, then it doesn''t!"


    "But I''ve heard that recently, there has been activity traceable to ''Green-Faced Fangs'' in Qingliu Vige, and many vigers have imed to have seen its true form. What''s your opinion on this, Vige Chief?"


    "I''m not too sure about that. Though I think I might have seen something strange at night, something with a bizarre shape."


    "So you''re saying there really is a monster like ''Green-Faced Fangs'' here?"


    "Not necessarily, perhaps I was just seeing things in the dark. After all, there aren''t really ghosts in this world!"


    "They say quite a few vigers have witnessed it. Some im the monster steals crops, others say it steals money, and there are even those who say they''ve seen the monstermitting murder!"


    "Well, many of our folks haven''t been exposed to much of the world, so they might exaggerate over things they don''t understand, spreading rumors. There are no ghosts in the world; if there are, they''re just ancient legends."


    "I noticed there are statues of ''Green-Faced Fangs'' in your fields. Are they made based on what the vigers have seen?"


    "Those are built because people worry that ghosts might bring misfortune, so we thought of erecting a statue as a totem in the fields. For us vigers, our crops are the most important. As for the appearance, it''s just roughly based on the legend; I don''t know what it actually looks like."


    The female reporter nodded, seemingly understanding, then narrowed her eyes and asked unabashedly, "Vige Chief, I heard your father has been missing for several months now and that this incident may also be rted to ''Green-Faced Fangs.'' Was he taken away by the monster?"


    Xu Shuo''s smile faded, and he furrowed his brow as he said, "Everyone in the vige knows that my father left to go on a long trip a few months ago. I don''t know what he was going to do, but there has been no word from him since then. I''ve been quite troubled by this issuetely. So it''s probably unrted to ''Green-Faced Fangs'', which is, after all, just a baseless legend. You guys really shouldn''t take it too seriously."


    "Okay, I understand. Thank you very much for epting my interview."


    At this point, the female journalist also knew when to stop and ended the topic there.


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    She packed away her mini microphone and camera into her backpack, then looked at Xu Shuo again with a smile and said, "Vige Chief, I''ll be in the vige capturing some material for a while longer. If you have any events, feel free to let me know, as it would help promote the vige."


    Xu Shuo calmly nodded and responded.


    The female journalist politely smiled before turning to leave, heading in the direction of the vige entrance and the farmhouse B&B.


    In the past couple of days, other than her, the only other visitor staying in the vige was probably the Trench Coat Detective. Other visitors seldom stayed overnight, usually just enjoying a country meal, fishing, and walking in the greenery before leaving.


    After all, the lodging conditions in the vige are not exactly appealing. For city dwellers, it''s quite basic. Even the farmhouse B&Bs are still a farmhouse environment and not formal hotels.


    Xu Shuo watched her leaving figure for a moment, then shifted his gaze and walked towards his own home.


    Passing through the square, several children were ying games, their cheerfulughter creating a lively atmosphere.


    In this day and age, there aren''t many entertainment activities for children in the countryside, other than ying hopscotch, pping ying cards, or ying eagle catches chicks.


    As Xu Shuo passed by, the children sweetly greeted him with "Hello, Vige Chief," their cleverness and cuteness on full disy.


    "Uncle Dai, do you want some fruit?" At that moment, the little girl with double buns came over, her fair and plump little hand holding up a yellow fruit.


    Qingliu Vige is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with bamboo forests and various fruit trees nted among the hills.


    However, there aren''t many mature fruit trees this season, nor is it the time for harvesting. Still, most households have a loquat tree in front of their houses or in their backyards.


    The little girl had been sitting on the steps under the eaves, just staring longingly at the other children ying without joining in. Upon seeing Xu Shuo passing by, she suddenly got up and scurried over.


    Seeing this, Xu Shuo scooped up the little girl as she approached, reminiscent of when Xu Xi was a child, equally fragrant, soft, and irresistibly cute.


    He smiled and epted the loquat the little girl had picked, popping it into his mouth to chew.


    Well, although it was sweet after biting into it, it was also quite astringent.


    "Uncle Dai, is it good?" the little girl asked, tilting her head.


    "It''s pretty good." Xu Shuo smiled. He didn''t know whose child she was, but the vigers nearby didn''t seem surprised to see them getting along so well.


    "Do you want toe y at uncle''s house?"


    "Yes, I want cookies and candy," the little girl whispered softly, clinging to his neck as if afraid someone woulde to snatch her away.


    Charmed by her cuteness, Xu Shuo''s smile grew wider as he pinched the little girl''s cheek again.

 Chapter 112: Chapter 108: Confusing and Complicated

    The Vige Chief''s house was situated on high ground and was the best constructed in the whole vige.


    It was a two-story self-built house with a backyard that looked rather like a vi, only without theplex structure, and it appeared quiterge.


    Additionally, once inside, the difference from an actual vi became even more pronounced.


    Xu Shuo set the little girl down on the ground and rummaged through a tall cab in the living room, finding some maltose, crispy twists, and other snacks to arrange on a te.


    The little girl sat obediently on a chair and her eyes brightened at the sight of the snacks; she consciously reached out her little hand and began to eat.


    She looked like she often came here for treats.


    Experience more tales on mvl


    Xu Shuo sat beside her, smiling affectionately as he watched her.


    He had previously asked the vigers to send the Trench Coat Detective here to rest, but since the house was empty, he figured thetter must be gathering information elsewhere.


    "Uncle Dai?" The little girl asked curiously, tilting her head, with crumbs of maltose still on her lips.


    "How old are you again? I''ve forgotten." Xu Shuo asked softly.


    "Qing... how old?"


    The little girl lookedpletely puzzled and then stretched out five fingers, counting on her sticky fingers, her whole demeanor was that of extreme confusion: "How old, umm... five, five..."


    She showed her fingers to Xu Shuo but seemed unable to say the word and just kept repeating "five."


    "Five years old?" Xu Shuo prompted.


    "Ah?" The girl still lookedpletely puzzled, unsurely watching him, and finally nodded tentatively, as if to say whatever you say must be right.


    She blinked her adorable, big, innocent eyes, her round cheeks flushed with apple red, looking especially cute.


    Xu Shuo''s fingertips absentmindedly caressed her cheek, chuckling, "Do you know about ''Green-Faced Fangs''? Everyone in the vige is talking about this monster. Aren''t you frightened?"


    "Monster, scared," the little girl responded solemnly with a nod.


    "Why are you scared?"


    "It looks very scary, and ites out at night to kill people, even eats people," the little girl replied without hesitation, and as she spoke, she stuffed a crispy twist into her mouth, chewing with a crunchy sound.


    "It''s all made up, where is there any killing and eating people? Who told you these stories?"


    "Um..." The little girl''s cheeks were puffed out, munching while she mumbled, "Uncle Huang at the vige entrance said so. Just a few days ago, his wife was eaten by the monster."


    There had already been deaths in the vige?


    Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes and wiped the crumbs from the little girl''s mouth, coaxing her to answer, "Howe I haven''t heard about this?"


    At the end of his words, the girl paused in her chewing and looked up, puzzled, "Uncle Dai, aren''t you the one who told everyone not to call the police, saying that Auntie just went back to her parents'' home?"


    "You remember well, Qing, Uncle was testing your memory!" Xu Shuo said, his expression unchanged, smiling.


    Praised, the little girl''s smile broadened joyfully on her face, looking very endearing.


    Looking at the half-eaten snacks on the te, Xu Shuo took out a few more from the cab, then continued to press the little girl with questions as he grasped her hand.


    His role had its advantages, making certain tasks easy, but the disadvantages were also very apparent.


    Being in the position of Vige Chief, it was impossible for him not to know about the vige affairs, and trying to extract information from others could easily arouse suspicion.


    Therefore, he could only resort to luring and cajoling children.


    ...


    Rumors in the vige about the appearance of "Green-Faced Fangs" were always a mix of truth and fabrication.


    Some imed that they saw the monster devour someone, and afterwards, that person indeed went missing; yet others asserted that there was no monster eating people, and the person in question had simply gone out.


    Under these ambiguous rumors, the existence of "Green-Faced Fangs" became even more elusive. Whether someone''s belongings went missing, someone got injured, someone was attacked, or a tourist disappeared, all could be attributed to the monster''s assault.


    To the outside world, however, it was said that all of these were just rumors, and in fact, nothing had happened.


    Legends of such ambiguous nature always have a peculiar charm that attracts the curiosity of many, drawing numerous thrill-seekers to flock to the location.


    That''s how the tourism in Qingliu Vige developed.


    Xu Shuo pondered with downcast eyes, his fingers gently tapping on the table, as he formed a general idea of this task.


    He looked at the little girl who had finished two tes of snacks, and was drinking water with intermittent hups, and smiled, "Qing has been ying here for quite a while. I''ll take you back."


    "Mmm hmm." The little girl wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, then naturally stretched out her arms towards Xu Shuo, blinking her eyes and looking as if she was asking to be held.


    Xu Shuo obligingly picked her up, but after they walked some distance, he put her down again.


    The little girl looked bewildered for a moment, then turned to Xu Shuo, only to hear himugh, "Qing must walk by herself, uncle will follow behind."


    Hearing this, the little girl didn''t find it strange at all, instead she nodded very seriously and then staggered along the road with exaggerated movements of her arms and legs as if to show she could indeed walk.


    She wore a little teal jacket and had somewhat disheveled double buns. With her small steps and pose, she looked absolutely adorable!


    The two returned to the vige center''s square. There was a river flowing below the square, and above it stood an ancient-looking, gray and ck courtyard-style building.


    The little girl had previously been sitting at the entrance eating.


    Now, upon reaching the ce, she naturally ran inside, and Xu Shuo followed after her, furrowing his brows slightly at the sight of the building.


    After entering the gate, first came a spacious courtyard, and directly in front, on the weather-worn que of the house, though the inscriptions were blurred, one could still faintly discern the words "Ancestral Hall."


    This is the vige''s ancestral hall?


    Xu Shuo saw the little girl run into a small room on the right. Following her in, he noticed furniture like beds and cabs, and the room was a bit dark, with the girl lighting a candle.


    "Acting Uncle, sit!" the little girl said after lighting the candle. She turned around, saw hime in, and hurriedly grabbed the hem of her clothes.


    "All right." Xu Shuo sat down on a stool, pinched the little girl''s cheek, his expression somewhat cryptic.


    A girl living alone in the ancestral hall must be an orphan; if not taken in by a family, she likely was supported and raised with assistance from the whole vige.


    In his role as the vige chief, regardless of his inner thoughts, outwardly he would, of course, act conscientiously towards the little girl, which exined why she was quite fond of him.


    In a ce rife with monstrous rumors like "Green-Faced Fangs," the girl must feel scared living alone.


    Xu Shuo pondered these thoughts, yet he had no ns to take her into his care. After a perfunctory sit-down, he stood and stepped outside to take a closer look at the ancestral hall.


    The vige''s ancestral hall was infrequently used unless there was a significant event, resulting in weeds in the courtyard and turbid water in the water tanks.


    The main hall was for worship, its tform adorned with both ancestors and Buddha Bodhisattva. Xu Shuo''s gaze swept over the ancestral tablets ced there when a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.


    [Congrattions, yer, for triggering the role-ying task: Acting Vige Chief.]

 Chapter 113: Chapter 109: Midnight Updates are the Deadliest!

    The mechanism for activating the Character Card really is bizarre and varied.


    More importantly, the Character Card that Hong Rao considered as rare as the Resurrection Card, he activated again.


    Having endured the memories from his Second Level Script''s Character Card, now dealing with the memories from a first level script barely phased him; he was momentarily confused before he quickly recovered.


    In an instant, his expression became very odd.


    Upon activating the Character Card task, one could obtain all the memories of the character, which was essentially like having half the script in hand.


    Then Xu Shuo realized that this time he might probably possibly perhaps still... couldn''t escape the identity of the murderer.


    Although he hadn''tmitted arson or murder, the other things he did were pretty much the same.


    Fortunately, his mindset had already settled; as long as the script didn''t copse, that was fine. This time it was a disguise script chosen by Hong Rao; it couldn''t fall apart no matter what! Enjoy more content from mvl


    For a moment Xu Shuo''s eyes shed fiercely, but he quickly hid the expression as the little girl came over.


    "Uncle Dai, what are you looking at?" the little girl asked curiously, sticking her head out.


    "Nothing," Xu Shuo patted her on the head and smiled. "You can take a nap now. Uncle will pick you up for dinner at my ce tonight."


    ording to the memories, the little girl had visited almost every household, essentially growing up on others'' cooking. Bringing her home wouldn''t raise any suspicions.


    The little girl wasn''t actually sleepy, but upon hearing his suggestion, she obediently nodded.


    ...


    After leaving the ancestral hall, Xu Shuo went straight back to his own home.


    He wasn''t hungry as he had already eaten beforeing, so he didn''t cook at noon. However, farmers are experts at stockpiling grain and food; Xu Shuo found a bag of wheat flour cakes from the cupboard.


    He packed the food in his sack along with arge pot of water filled from a thermos, bringing enough provisions for several days.


    Then, he remembered a box of chess stored in a drawer and also tossed it into his bag.


    In the afternoon, not many people moved around in the vige; they were all busy in the fields.


    The vige chief''snd was being worked on by hired help, so there was no need for Xu Shuo to be concerned about it. After preparing his things, he didn''t need to use the front door and simply headed towards the mountains through the back yard.


    The mountainous area was covered with a bamboo forest, belonging to the Vige Chief''s House; further back, thend was divided with different fruit trees nted.


    Continuing deeper, it gradually became unexplored territory.


    Xu Shuo, carrying a stick he had picked up at random, nonchntly knocked against the underbrush, cautiously made his way past a path filled with thorny branches, and carefully slid down a slope covered with loose stones and clods of earth to stand at the bottom.


    In front of him was a dense thicket, but in fact, if one pushed aside the outer disguising nts, a cave entrance could be seen.


    The dingy and dry passageway of the cave started narrow, and after stooping for a while, it opened up; inside, it was pitch ck, and even the light at the cave entrance was reduced to a mere speck.


    "Who''s there?" Suddenly, a faint voice echoed in the deathly still darkness of the cave.


    "It''s me," Xu Shuo said.


    After he responded, the voice went silent.


    Xu Shuo''s vision wasn''t hindered by the darkness; he walked straight to the wall and lit a candle with a match, brightening the small cave somewhat.


    After lighting two candles, the whole small cave was finally illuminated.


    In a corner of the rough and uneven cave, an old man d in a gray cloth robe sat on the ground. Hisplexion was wan, his expression dazed, and his whole being appeared utterly listless.


    After all, he had not eaten for a day, and he was an old man.


    The cave was cluttered with various objects, faintly wafting the stench of metabolism. In this unventted space, the odor was suffocatingly nauseating.


    In the uneven cave, there were protruding rocks, and one of those rocks was chained to the old man''s right foot, binding him to this ce.


    This was the missing Old Vige Chief.


    After lighting the candle, Xu Shuo walked over, cing his travel bag next to the old man, opened it, and took out some water and food.


    Seeing him approach, the old man''s murky gaze sharpened, anger and disappointment crossed his face, and he trembled with rage, about to curse out, "You this¡ª"


    "Eat first, curse after you''re done," Xu Shuo said as he stuffed a white bread bun into the old man''s open mouth.


    The old man bit into the bun instinctively. The food he had broughtst time had run out yesterday, but the Acting Vige Chief hadn''t delivered any food yet. Indeed, he had been hungry for a whole day.


    No matter how filled with anger and resentment he was, he couldn''t let his body copse.


    So, as the old man ate and cursed, Xu Shuo stood up, dragged out the chamber pot from the cave, carried it a distance away, and dumped it in the bushes.


    Upon returning, he dutifully tidied up the chaotically messy cave.


    But due to theck of venttion, that faint, lingering stench couldn''t be dispelled, which made Xu Shuo reluctant to even yawn, feeling slightly nauseated with each breath.


    The old man didn''t have such reservations. Perhaps because of his extreme hunger, he could still eat despite the foul air.


    After all, he had been living like this for several months now; no matter how uneptable it at first seemed, one could get used to it.


    Xu Shuo silently watched him, casually handing him water when he choked and waiting until he was almost finished eating before speaking, "A few more days."


    "Hm?" The old man didn''t grasp the meaning at first.


    "All those matters will be over in a few days, and then I''ll let you out," Xu Shuo continued.


    Hearing this, the old man''s thoughts churned for a moment before he realized what was being said, and he asked in a flurry, "What are you nning to do? I''m telling you, you''d better not mess around, this whole vige is the foundation of our ancestors, you start these things, ain''t you afraid of shaming your lineage!"


    By the end of his tirade, the old man was furiously cursing again.


    Xu Shuo listened calmly to his tirade and, once the old man took a break for breath, said again, "That''s why I won''t being over for the next few days, not until everything is over. There''s enough food there for you for a week. Also, if you get bored, you can y chess by yourself."


    As he spoke, Xu Shuo took out the chess set.


    Look how considerate he was. Although the old man wasn''t his real father, Xu Shuo had gone out of his way to prepare an entertaining activity, in order to fulfil his role dutifully.


    Infuriated, the old man knocked over the chess set!


    "You unfilial child!"


    He trembled with rage again, his gaunt face full of fury, "You have toplicate things, don''t you, you have to be theughingstock of the outside world, can''t you walk the straight and narrow!"


    "You''ve misunderstood," Xu Shuo said, picking up the chess set. "These next few days, I n to deal with the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' issue. But there are too many eyes outside, so I must handle it secretly. That''s why you can''t go back yet."


    If the Old Vige Chief appeared now, given the old man''s temperament, there would undoubtedly be an explosion and Xu Shuo''s identity would be exposed, and it would also hinder his actions.


    At the moment, he not only needed toplete the main mission and retrieve the Character Card, but he also had to fill the "Acting Vige Chief" card slot.


    So, since the Old Vige Chief had been living here for several months already, it wouldn''t hurt to continue for a few more days.

 Chapter 114: Chapter 110 Actually, Thinking of a Title is Quite Brain-racking

    Xu Shuo had resolved the old vige chief''s survival crisis, and then he returned to the vige, allowing the elder''s curses to vanish into the woods.


    This ce was extremely remote, with weeds and thorns lining the path¡ªnormal vigers usually wouldn''t wander here, especially since half of this mountain belonged to the vige chief''s household.


    A few months ago, when the old vige chief had left the vige, it had indeed been of his own volition, but the fact that he disappeared halfway and ended up imprisoned here was the handiwork of the acting vige chief.


    At this moment, Xu Shuo suddenly thought of a problem.


    If other yers obtained this character identity but failed to activate the Character Card and retrieve the memories, would that mean¡ª


    the follow-up plot was the old vige chief starving to death there?


    But whether he starved to death or someone found his body, the character of the old vige chief shouldn''t just end up lying dead without any plot, should he?


    Thinking about it was pretty tragic.


    On the way back, Xu Shuo pondered his next arrangements, but when he stood on the mountaintop and saw that self-built house, he squinted his eyes.


    He descended the mountain from the small path through the woods and took the detour to the front door.


    Unless one had to travel far, houses in the countryside rarely locked their doors¡ªXu Shuo had merely hung a woodentch on the door before he left.


    After pushing the door open, the first thing was a corridor leading straight to the backyard, and on both sides were the living room and the stairs to the second floor. At that moment, there was a man in a gray trench coat sitting in the living room.


    He had been scrutinizing the ce, but quickly turned around when he heard the noise.


    "Acting Vige Chief, I''m sorry foring in directly," said the Trench Coat Detective somewhat embarrassingly, though it was that viger who led the way who had let him in. He hadn''t gotten used to the vige''s forthright style yet.


    "No worries, I couldn''t just make you wait outside."


    Xu Shuo smiled warmly and then, without waiting for him to ask, lifted the items in his hand and continued, "I just went up the mountain to dig some bamboo shoots for you. They''re at their freshest right now. You should eat plentyter."


    The Trench Coat Detective looked at the things in his hand. Perhaps because the road was rough, his long rubber boots were covered in dirt, his clothes filthy, and there were even torn areas.


    Then, the Trench Coat Detective smiled amicably, saying, "Thank you for the trouble, Acting Vige Chief."


    "It''s no trouble. Have a seat. Help yourself to anything you''d like to eat," offered Xu Shuo as he set out the food tray and then carried the bamboo shoots toward the backyard.


    The kitchen here still used a traditional stove with firewood. Although Xu Shuo had never used it before, as a chef, he knew how to clear the passage, light the fire, and set up the pot.


    He had nced at the clock in the living room earlier; it was around four in the afternoon. Most rural households eat four meals a day, so it was about time to start cooking.


    Xu Shuo first prepared the ingredients, then washed the rice and ced the cooking pot on the stove. He was about to go and pick up the little girl, but as he turned around, he nearly collided with the Trench Coat Detective who had approached without notice.


    "Ah, sorry, sorry," apologized the Trench Coat Detective, full of regret, his gentle demeanor exuding the air of a gentleman and particrly rxing.


    "It was I who almost ran into you, sir. You truly are a cultured man from the city, even your footsteps are graceful and soft. Not at all like us country folks, so uncouth," Xu Shuomented with a grin.


    "..." Trench Coat Detective.


    He always felt there was something passive-aggressive about those words, but from that respectful expression, he couldn''t tell.


    Xu Shuo wiped his hands with a towel and continued, "I''m sorry to trouble you to keep an eye on the fire for me. I''m going to the ancestral hall now to pick up Qing for dinner."


    "Qing?" the Trench Coat Detective showed a puzzled look.


    "Yes, she''s a child from the vige. Her family has all passed away, and I feel sorry for her, so I often look after her a bit," exined Xu Shuo.


    The Trench Coat Detective nodded, watching him leave, then turned his gaze back to the stove that was burning.


    Regardless of the context, he was a proper city dweller through and through and genuinely didn''t know how to use this thing.


    ...


    ...


    Xu Shuo took a familiar path to the ancestral hall, and when he pushed open the door to the small room on the right, he saw the little girl sitting on her bed, staring with eyes wide open, lost in thought.


    She hadn''t been sleeping, and there wasn''t much expression on her adorable face, only a fixed gaze upon the candle on the table.


    The candlelight flickered, and the intermittent glow cast upon the girl''s face made her features seem somewhat ethereal.


    Hearing the noise from the door, the little girl turned her head, and then her eyes lit up as if she hade to life in a vivid disy.


    "Acting Uncle!" she eximed joyfully, jumping off the bed and running up to grasp the hem of Xu Shuo''s clothing, asking expectantly, "Did youe to take me for the meal?"


    "That''s right."


    Xu Shuo squatted down and touched the little girl''s hair, asking, "Did you sleep well?"


    "Very well!" the little girl nodded vigorously, her face filled with certainty.


    Who are you trying to fool? You didn''t nap at all!


    Xu Shuo chuckled as he ruffled the top of her head, making her already disheveled double buns even messier, then took her hand and led her outside.


    Maybe it was because dinner was figured out, or perhaps it was the sight of the kindly vige chief, but the little girl was in a very good mood at this time.


    After leaving the ancestral hall, she let go of Xu Shuo''s hand and cheerfully ran ahead before turning back to look at him, eager and impatient.


    Her loosely tied buns swayed with each move, her smile was sweet and sugary, her rosy cheeks round and incredibly cute. She hopped and skipped along the path like a little elf.


    ...


    Not far away, the wandering female journalist caught sight of the charming child and, with shining eyes, made a beeline towards her!


    The little girl was startled and when the woman approached, she turned and ran, quickly hiding behind Xu Shuo and clutching his leg while cautiously peeking out her head.


    "Ahem, vige chief, your daughter?" the female journalist, aware of her over-eagerness, came to a halt and managed a forced smile.


    "No, she''s an orphan from the vige. I''m just taking her to my ce to have a meal," Xu Shuo replied while soothingly stroking the top of the little girl''s head.


    "Oh right! I''d remembered that you''re still single," said the female journalist as if she just had an epiphany.


    The old Vige Chief had only one child, a son. His wife had passed away in childbirth, and his parents had helped to raise the child, but they too had died one after another over a decade ago.


    Experience new stories on mvl


    All that remained in the Vige Chief''s House were two grown men, and despite being in his thirties, the Vige Chief''s son had yet to find a wife.


    This matter wasn''t a secret amongst the folks in the vige.


    Xu Shuo responded indifferently, then looked down tofort the little girl, "Don''t be afraid, she''s not a bad person."


    The little girl cast a curious nce at the auntie who was giving her a strange smile and continued to hide behind Xu Shuo, tightly grasping the hem of his clothing.


    Seeing her reaction, the female journalist looked up at the clear blue sky, then smilingly said, "The Vige Chief''s family dines quite early. I had just checked into the rural guesthouse and immediately went out to explore the vige."


    "We tend to eat dinner early," Xu Shuo smiled.


    "..." The female journalist smiled back and added, "Indeed, it''s about time to get hungry."


    "Mm-hm," Xu Shuo acknowledged, giving nothing away.


    After a moment of awkward silence, the female journalist had no choice but to ask directly, though politely, "Would you mind if I joined you as a guest at your house, vige chief?"


    It was then Xu Shuo realized, "Right! How could I have almost neglected a guest? Miss, you are here to promote our vige, and after being busy for so long you must be hungry. It''s okay,e join us!"


    Female journalist: "¡­Hehe."


    I suspect you did that on purpose!

 Chapter 115: Chapter 111 Another Peaceful Day

    Twisting wisps of cooking smoke rose from the kitchen in the back yard.


    After Xu Shuo returned, he saw the Trench Coat Detective looking utterly perplexed in front of the dancing mes of the y stove, his face a picture of helplessness.


    "Ah, I just saw the fire re up suddenly..." the Trench Coat Detective said awkwardly upon seeing him.


    "You just need to block this half way," Xu Shuo stepped forward, picked up the lid carelessly left on the ground, and partially covered the stove''s air vent with it.


    Immediately after, Xu Shuo added, "You guys go sit outside for a bit, I''ve got this covered."


    The Trench Coat Detective, feeling embarrassed, turned around to leave. When he stepped outside, he saw the female journalist he''d met on the way here, and a well-behaved little girl in a blue jacket, looking cute and adorable.


    The little girl sat obediently on the stool, nibbling on the snacksid out on the table, while the journalist snapped photos of her from the side.


    Maybe because she didn''t understand what a camera was, the little girl showed no resistance and would even obediently look towards the lens. However, when the journalist tried to pinch her cheek, the girl would dodge back.


    "Why are you here?" the Trench Coat Detective asked, his expression darkening slightly as he raised an eyebrow at the sight of the woman.


    Discover more stories at §Þ??


    He was certain that this female journalist wasn''t from any respectable media outlet. She had been babbling non-stop on the road, asking questions that were difficult to answer!


    She always had a way of steering the conversation towards more contentious points, and would inspect those points with her cynical perspectives, quickly branding people with condemnablebels!


    Just like those unscrupulous paparazzi who followed the tide of gossip.


    The female journalist,pletely oblivious,ughed and said, "I just happened to meet the vige chief and thought I''d swing by his ce for a meal, saving some money on lunch!


    The Trench Coat Detective snorted nomittally upon hearing this and didn''t respond further, rather, he just sat to the side and pulled out his smartphone.


    But after only a short while, he felt someone approach, promptly turned off his phone''s screen, and looked at the female journalist with suspicion.


    "Hey, don''t be so stiff, we can exchange information~," the journalist said with a beaming smile.


    "What do you want?" the Trench Coat Detective furrowed his brow at her.


    Looking in the direction of the courtyard and then at the little girl sitting beside her eating snacks, the journalist lowered her voice and asked, "Are you here to investigate the disappearance of the Old Vige Chief?"


    "What''s it to you," the Trench Coat Detective remained guarded and then retorted sarcastically, "I have professional ethics. I can''t disclose information about mymission."


    "We could cooperate, it might be a win-win situation."


    The journalist pursed her lips, sat down close to the Trench Coat Detective, took a small notebook out of her pocket, opened it, and generously handed it over.


    The Trench Coat Detective gave her a quizzical look but still took the notebook, quickly scanning through the journalist''s findings from the afternoon''s investigation.


    They were all details one could hear from the vigers'' mouths, but he was also aware of these matters.


    So this information was of no practical use.


    He thought for a moment and then said, "I''m not here to investigate the Old Vige Chief''s disappearance. After all, it was he who hired me, but when we stopped corresponding, and I didn''t receive any more messages, I grew worried and could onlye here based on the clues I had from before."


    The female journalist nodded thoughtfully, "So this trip... isn''t it still to investigate the missing Old Vige Chief?"


    "..." The Trench Coat Detective stuffed her notebook back at her and gritted his teeth, "Can''t you stop speaking out of turn? Since you can deduce that by yourself, why bother exchanging information with me?!"


    "Hey, hey, don''t be angry, it''s just professional habits!"


    Trying to appease him, the journalist smiled ingratiatingly and nced towards the yard once more before saying in a serious tone, "But really, don''t you think the vigers'' attitudes towards outsiders are strange?"


    The Trench Coat Detective frowned slightly, "Very weing?"


    Journalist: "..."


    How did such a naive child end up as a detective.


    Gathering her thoughts, she spoke with a genial smile, "Of course not. They''re bound to be weing as a tourist vige. I meant their statements to outsiders are all exactly the same!"


    ```


    The Trench Coat Detective''s expression stiffened.


    He took another look at the female journalist''s notebook, recalling the information he had gathered himself¡ªit was almost identical!


    Some woman supposedly eaten by a monster in the middle of the night, but in fact, she''d just gone out of town; someone''s belongings allegedly stolen, but they were just misced; someone supposedly injured by a monster attack, but it was just an ident; someone died, but in fact...they''d just fallen ill.


    The only thing the vigers couldn''t refute was the Old Vige Chief, who went missing a few months ago and had not returned since!


    They said it was the legend of "Green-Faced Fangs" reappearing, which caused all manner of strange urrences in the vige. However, the vigers'' attitude toward this creature wasn''t one of fear; they could even promote it to give the vige a bit of publicity.


    "So, what''s your take?" the female journalist asked again.


    "Grasping at straws, creating topics of conversation," the Trench Coat Detective dropped the notebook on the table and said with a frown, "A bunch of people exploiting these events for profit, that''s all."


    "Awesome!" the female journalist gave him a thumbs-up.


    The little girl sitting on the side, eating twisted dough sticks, nced at them curiously¡ªthe two adults had been muttering to each other, and she couldn''t make heads or tails of it.


    After a short while, the female journalist spoke again with a hint of secrecy, "But, do you really think that''s all there is to it?"


    "Hm?" the Trench Coat Detective raised an eyebrow.


    "What if those things were actually true?"


    "..."


    Before the Trench Coat Detective could respond, there was a sudden noise from outside. Somebody wasing, carefully peeking inside through the living room door that wasn''t fully closed.


    It was the girl wearing a floral dress.


    Seeing the two strangers in the house, the girl paused, then spoke, "This..."


    "Big sister, you''re back!" Before she could finish, the little girl chewing on the twisted dough sticks tilted her head and asked, "Is the painting done?"


    "Ah, not yet," the girl walked in, smiling awkwardly, "Icked inspiration today."


    While speaking, she ced the paint bucket she was carrying in a corner of the living room and then sat down on a chair somewhat reservedly, staring between the two outsiders.


    A moment of awkward silence filled the room.


    After a pause, it was the female journalist who first broke the silence, "So you live here?"


    "Yes, I''ve been staying at the Vige Chief''s House for a while," the girl replied, adjusting her hair and lowering her gaze.


    "Is it because of that painting?"


    "Yes."


    "Were you invited by the Acting Vige Chief or the Old Vige Chief to paint?"


    "Yes."


    "..."


    The female journalist seemed to have a knack for social interaction, engaging anyone in nonstop chatter, whereas the girl was even more reserved than the Trench Coat Detective, sitting in the corner with an air of tranquil detachment, as though no amount of disturbance could disrupt her peace.


    The little girl munched on her twisted dough sticks with loud crunches, watching the trio with curiosity.


    ...


    Meanwhile, in the backyard.


    Xu Shuo was the epitome of tranquility as he prepared food, chopping vegetables. He faintly heard the noise from the living room and nced over, a smile spreading across his face.


    All the people were gathered together, seeming to have a lively conversation; he hoped they would find what they were looking for.


    ```

 Chapter 116: Chapter 112 The Night is Dark and the Wind is High

    Xu Shuo had been cooking for over an hour until evening came when he finally went to the living room to call everyone for dinner.


    The girl artist looked at him with a brief sh of surprise, followed by a silent sigh of relief.


    As it turned out, the man who had approached her in the afternoon was the vige chief; fortunately, she had not revealed any ws at the time. Otherwise, it would have been terrible if she had acted like she didn''t recognize him.


    Even finding the Vige Chief''s House was a matter of catching a child ying outside and asking for directions. Children are simple-minded, and the child just assumed she had forgotten the way.


    This was much harder than a beginner''s guide; at least those have arrow indicators.


    The girl muttered to herself but maintained an unppable exterior. As soon as Xu Shuo had set the table, she sat down with restraint. Stay connected with §Þ??


    "Not a lot of dishes, I hope the guests won''t mind," Xu Shuo said with a polite smile.


    "How could we, they all look great," the female reporter responded courteously as well.


    The meal was bountiful, as there were five people dining, and Xu Shuo had even ughtered two chickens to fulfill his host duties.


    However, the three people who had been chatting merrily just before now became silent at the dining table, as if they had alreadye to some sort of agreement.


    In any case, the only one trying to make conversation was Xu Shuo. Even the usually boisterous female reporter was filling her words with perfunctory intent.


    "By the way, Vige Chief," the female reporter suddenly spoke up, "For the forting promotion, I n to focus on the ''Green-Faced Fangs.'' What do you think? Is there anything you would like to add?"


    "Not really a good idea."


    Xu Shuo reflected seriously, "Our vige has a lot more to offer besides the legend of the ''Green-Faced Fangs,'' such as the mountains, rivers, fruit trees, and so on. These also deserve media coverage! Moreover, this monster business isn''t really worth reporting. It''s all just people making things up and spreading rumors!"


    Hearing this, the female reporter looked dumbfounded, and the expressions of the other two at the table turned somewhat strange.


    It was your vige that used the legend of the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' to attract visitors, but now you''re actually against using it for promotion?


    Could it be that this matter is actually unrted to the Vige Chief?


    The female reporter had only mentioned it in passing to try and extract more information, but she was quite surprised by the response and felt somewhat awkward on the spot.


    Xu Shuo eagerly broke the awkwardness, smiling warmly, "Heh, why talk about work during a meal? It''s so tiring. Come on, eat more, don''t be shy with the food!"


    While speaking, he proactively served the Trench Coat Detective and the girl artist a helping of chicken, showing the typical simplicity and hospitality of a farmer.


    The little girl sat next to Xu Shuo, staying very quiet. Whenever the adults spoke, she stuffed food into her mouth non-stop, appearing as if she hadn''t eaten for days.


    ¡­


    By the time the lively dinner was over, the sun had already begun to set outside.


    In the countryside, where people usually had four meals a day, the third meal was typically eaten in the fields due to the physical exertion from working.


    For those who didn''t need to toil, three meals a day were sufficient.


    Hence, Xu Shuo did not save the evening leftovers. After cleaning up the table, he prepared to take the well-fed little girl back to the Ancestral Hall, as tonight was supposed to be lively. It was not suitable for the little girl to stay overnight.


    Before leaving, he hung a bag full of snacks, like biscuits and fried dough twists, around the little girl''s neck.


    Holding a bounty of snacks, the little girl''s eyes sparkled brightly, and her tender, rosy cheeks were irresistibly pinchable.


    Then, under the envious gaze of the female reporter, Xu Shuo satisfyingly pinched her for a while before picking up the soft and adorable little girl and heading out.


    The vigers who had been working the fields in the evening were returning home, and several greeted him warmly as they walked by, inquiring about the new visitors that day.


    "Vige Chief, what exactly is that detective investigating?"


    No sooner had Xu Shuo stepped into the Ancestral Hall than a dark and thin man followed, d in muddy coarse clothes; his narrow eyes darting here and there.


    After putting the little girl into the right room, Xu Shuo closed the door and whispered, "It''s just the matter of my old man going missing, I''ll send him away tomorrow."


    The thin and dark man nodded, and after a pause, he asked again, "And what about that reporter? She''s been running around the vige all day, pestering us with questions, really giving us a headache!"


    "She''s just here to publicize our vige," Xu Shuo said with a smile, "Once our vige is featured on the TV station, more tourists wille, and we''ll make more money. We don''t need to hide anything from her, in fact, it''s better to let her write more about us."


    "Oh..." The thin and dark man nodded again, a sharp glint in his eyes, and then he made some small talk before quickly taking his leave.


    Xu Shuo stood in ce, the smile that had lifted his face subsiding, and then he reopened the door.


    The little girl was behaving, sitting in the room eating biscuits. When she noticed the door opening, she turned her head in confusion.


    Xu Shuo smiled and said, "Go to sleep early tonight and don''t eat too much, or you''ll have trouble falling asleep once you''re full."


    Upon hearing this, the little girl looked at the biscuits in her hand, then at him, and reluctantly set the snacks down, before climbing onto the bed to sit.


    Xu Shuo walked over to pat her head, then left and closed the door behind him.


    After he left, the little girl blinked, then stealthily climbed out of bed and picked up the snacks from the table.


    ...


    ...


    As night fell, the vige, surrounded on three sides by mountains, seemed to be ensnared in a Dark Abyss from afar.


    Although Qingliu Vige was now electrified, most families still preferred to use candles when it wasn''t necessary, making one candlest several days.


    No other reason but thrift, to save electricity.


    To stop work at sunset, this was the daily routine of the country folk, and by around eight o''clock in the evening, no household had their lights on.


    The Vige Chief''s house had also turned off its lights early, and from its elevated position, one could survey the entire vige from the second floor. At the moment, looking out was like peering into an abyss of darkness.


    The countryside at night was unbelievably quiet,cking the hustle and bustle of a city, so deathly silent it felt as though the entire world consisted only of oneself. One had to listen carefully to faintly hear the chirping of insectsing from who knows where.


    The night air was exceptionally cool.


    The rooms provided for the guests to rest were on the second floor. The young girl was hugging her quilt and tossing and turning on the bed, unable to fall asleep.


    Lying there with her eyes open in the dark, she eventually quietly got up from the bed and tiptoed to the window to look outside.


    Then she saw absolutely nothing in the pitch darkness.


    However, she heard some faint noisesing from the next room. The girl waited by the window for a while, and then saw two shadows, nearly indistinguishable from the darkness, moving past underneath.


    Were those two people on the move?


    Pressing her lips together, the girl hesitated in her expression.


    Just before dinner, the two hadn''t avoided her when discussing things¡ªa reporter, seeking interesting news in the vige, and a detective, also interested in investigating matters in the vige.


    Then, with just an exchange of nces, an agreement was reached.


    The girl hadn''t joined their silent conversation, content to sit aside as if all was calm. She had no desire to act with these people.


    Now, she took out her phone from the bedside, tested the shlight and night photography functions, and, gathering her courage, opened the door...


    ...


    After the three had left one by one, another door opened in the bedroom on the first floor.

 Chapter 117: Chapter 113: No Badger in the Melon Field

    ```


    The fields were alive with the sound of frogs and the unidentified cries of insects.


    In this eerily silent night, human activity had vanished, leaving only nature''s whispers to asionally pierce the stillness.


    Two figures moved stealthily down the small paths of the vige, ghostly quiet in their passage.


    "Elder Huang''s wife has been gone on a long trip, they im she went back to her mother''s house, but in fact, that never happened," a woman''s voice said in hushed tones.


    "Then what do you n to do?" another deep voice asked.


    "Bluff him, I''ll give him a good scare first!"


    "..."


    The Trench Coat Detective was somewhat at a loss for words. He nced at the eerily quiet rice paddies not far away, where, under the moonlight, one could vaguely make out the entwined vines and wooden frames.


    Find adventures on §Þ??


    The country fields were nted not only with rice but some also grew melons and other vegetables.


    Further along a rural path, statues half the height of a person stood in the fields, their vague outlines in the darkness resembling scarecrows, silently watching over the entire countryside.


    That thing was probably the "Green-Faced Fangs" statue the vigers had made,monly used for tourists to take pictures with.


    Looking at it, the Trench Coat Detective frowned ufortably and turned his head to keep up with the pace of the female reporter.


    The cool breeze ofte spring wafted across the fields, carrying the fragrance of soil and vegetation along with a touch of icy chill.


    Elder Huang''s home location had been thoroughly scouted by the female reporter during the day, and now, in the cover of night, they used the dim light from their cell phone shlights to navigate carefully between the houses.


    Suddenly, a strange shadow flickered in a corner not far away, but it went unnoticed.


    "Cough..."


    Next to a window of the house, the female reporter leaned against the wall and cleared her throat, but as she subconsciously looked around, she realized that the Trench Coat Detective who had been following her was gone.


    The female reporter paused for a moment, then shone her phone behind her, but still saw no one.


    What the hell?


    This type of mysterious disappearance, why did it feel like the beginning of a horror movie?


    Another gust of cold wind swept by, and the female reporter couldn''t help but wrap her arms around herself, shivering unintentionally.


    The chill of spring is sharp, enough to freeze the young!


    Wait, it''s alreadyte spring, how could it be this cold? She was just scaring herself!


    So, the female reporter flipped open her phone and sent a text message to the Trench Coat Detective.


    With the convenience of modern technology, there was no need to risk searching in an unfamiliar environment. However, the signal in the vige was poor, and the message kept disying "Sending."


    The female reporter snapped her phone shut in irritation, muttering "useless teammate" under her breath, and then turned to walk to the front door.


    She took out her tools and easily picked the lock on the door. She was initially worried it might be bolted from the inside, but when she pulled, the door opened right up.


    As she got to this point, the female reporter was on alert.


    She looked back once more, seeing the houses scattered in the darkness, the night only disturbed by the sounds of insects and birds, utterly silent.


    Where on earth had that simple detective gone?


    After some thought, the female reporter still pulled the door open and cautiously stepped inside.


    In the whole vige, Elder Huang''s home had seen the most trouble; his wife was said to have been eaten or killed by a monster. If she wanted to learn about "Green-Faced Fangs," perhaps besides the vige head, this man knew the most.


    But during the day, the vigers, while seemingly warm and polite, were actually highly guarded against them, speaking as if everything they said had been rehearsed in advance.


    She had no choice but to seek information through less direct methods.


    The female reporter entered the living room and saw the bedroom on the right, but at that moment, she smelled something strange.


    A bit fishy, and somewhat nauseating¡­


    All of a sudden, the reporter''s body stiffened, standing in the pitch-ck living room, surrounded by deathly silence with only her own shallow breathing, the chill ofte spring seeping into her body and heart, spreading through her entire being!


    She swallowed hard, and just then, the indicator light on her flip phone flickered.


    ```


    The female journalist snapped back to reality; her heart was pounding so hard that her fingers began to tremble, but she quickly unlocked her phone.


    The text message had been sent out at some point, and now it was the Trench Coat Detective who had replied.


    [I saw a strange shadow. You go ahead to Elder Huang''s ce by yourself, and I''ll follow up on the situation there.]


    Female journalist: "!!!"


    What the hell! Can you hear me¡ªwhat the hell!


    After encountering something strange, why wouldn''t you firstmunicate with your teammate!


    You''re already close by; why would you go off on your own and leave your teammate to act alone!


    Didn''t you watch horror movies in yourst life?!


    The journalist''s chest heaved violently. She took a deep breath to suppress the urge within her, turned around to leave, but suddenly stopped, as though she had thought of something, then stood still again.


    After thinking it over, the female journalist took out her camera and tiptoed to the bedroom door, then gently pushed the door with her finger.


    The ajar door swung open, and a cool breeze blew in through the window, amplifying the blood''s acrid scent.


    She squinted her eyes, her shlight cautiously illuminated the inside of the room, and on the bed, she saw arge spread of bloodstains that trailed all the way to the bedroom window.


    Something had happened at Elder Huang''s house!


    And the person was gone!


    The female journalist''s hands trembled as she took out her camera and expertly switched it to silent mode, then took several photos of the empty room.


    She didn''t dare stay long and quickly left while asking for the Trench Coat Detective''s location.


    As the saying goes, "Those with a clear conscience do not fear walking in the dark." Although she didn''t think she was doing anything wrong, she was still scared that something weird might appear on the road in the middle of the night.


    Not until she had left the tile-roofed houses and reached the concrete road of the vige did she feel a tad safer due to the wider area and better visibility.


    This was the vige road, where shouting out loud would likely bring a crowd of vigers.


    The Trench Coat Detective had not replied yet, and the female journalist looked somewhat impatient. She wanted to continue the investigation, but the incident at Elder Huang''s house had made her hesitant.


    She stood in the middle of the vige road, the ancestral hall to her right, a river to her left, and fields stretching into the distance.


    Suddenly, the female journalist turned her head to the left.


    ...


    ...


    Frog croaks sporadically emanated from the fields as the light breeze rustled the leaves in the melon patch.


    In the still darkness of the night, apart from the noise of insects and birds, there was also the bizarre "gurgle gurgle" sound from beneath the swaying vines, and under the faint moonlight, an eerie shadow was faintly cast across thend.


    The heavy scent of blood spread, and the crimson liquid followed the grooves of the field outward, eventually reaching a pair of cloth shoes.


    Suddenly, the strange shadow stopped.


    In an instant, the chewing sounds also ceased, and the entire dark field fell into a chilling silence¡ªa spine-tingling, eerie silence!


    It seemed to be searching for something, with a dangerous and fearful aura spreading across the field.


    "Umm..."


    The shivering girl was about to move away but suddenly a hand emerged from behind and tightly covered her mouth, while also holding her shoulders still.


    "Shhh."


    In the darkness, a low voice whispered in her ear, the exhaling breath making her entire ear hot.


    "Don''t move, be careful or the badgers will eat you," the voice softly chuckled.


    Girl: "???"


    What? That''s a badger? Who are you trying tofort?!

 Chapter 118: Chapter 114 The Green-Faced Fangs Arent Green at All

    The cool breeze swept across the fields, with the lush green leaves trembling slightly.


    In the darkness, the asional chirping of insects and croaking of frogs arose, yet that sinister figure ahead waspletely still, an oppressive atmosphere spreading around it that sent chills down one''s spine.


    The young girl dared not make a sound or even move a hair, and after a long wait, the figure once again bent down, the sound of flesh being chewed resumed, and the thick scent of blood spread across the field.


    Not even the fragrance of the earth and vegetation could neutralize this nauseating odor.


    In the dead of night, with the moon gradually covered by dark clouds, a solitary young man and womany in the field, watching a "badger" consume flesh and blood.


    It seemed as if only those sinister sounds existed between heaven and earth; time appeared to slow down, making the silent, cold darkness particrly unbearable. Your next journey awaits at §Þ??


    The girl''s trembling body slowly began to rx, and she quietly reached into her pocket, pulling out a pink wide-screen smartphone under Xu Shuo''s somewhat puzzled gaze.


    Then she turned her body to shield the screen''s glow, silently switched to silent mode, quietly opened the camera app, and stealthily aimed the lens at the undting monster.


    Indeed, once one deems the current environment temporarily safe, they involuntarily begin to take risks.


    The girl angled her phone in the dark, but even in night mode, the camera captured only blurry shapes.


    This made her so anxious that she wanted to stretch out her hand a bit further to get a better shot until she became aware of the pressureing from behind and realized just how dangerous her situation was.


    Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand and obedientlyy back down in the field.


    The tormenting sounds of flesh being torn and chewed were still ringing in her ears; by rights, it shouldn''t eat for so long, but the "gulping" noise was like the constant, intrusive sound of a demon.


    This was enough to start irritating her.


    The script mission required her to draw a real "Green-Faced Fangs." Such a trap-like task was clearly not possible to be the actual "Green Face" with the "Fangs," which looked like a medieval devil statue.


    In her caution, the girl decided to scout the vige at night to observe what these "Green-Faced Fangs" truly were.


    However, she had not expected to feel a sense of crisis just as she reached the fields and immediately jumped into a nearby melon patch to hide.


    Before long, a dark strange creature also jumped in, lying not far from her and starting to make those bizarre gulping noises.


    Is this the "Green-Faced Fangs"?


    But what if she couldn''t see it clearly?


    Just then, a probing voice came from above the field, "Who''s there?"


    The girl: "...?"


    Xu Shuo: "?"


    This human voice was particrly jarring in the weird night, and once again, the chewing sound stopped, and the surroundings fell silent.


    The two looked up to see a dim light not far away, behind which a figure was making its way towards them.


    The girl''s eyes widened as she looked at the approaching person and then at the ghostly figure in the melon patch in panic.


    She had never seen anyone take such a risk before!


    In fact, the person walking over was also very cautious, but that didn''t change the fact that his approach was risky.


    The girl''s breathing sped up. Xu Shuo had already let go of her, but now, fearing she might uncontrobly scream out loud, she raised her hands to cover her mouth tightly first.


    That thing in front remained motionless, and as the person on the small path in the fields got closer, suddenly, like a sh of lightning, a shadow charged out!


    "Ah!"


    The one who called out wasn''t the girl, but the person approaching in the Fields, who suddenly dropped the glowing source they held onto the ground, followed by a burst of chaotic noise.


    Beast-like roars suppressed in the darkness of the night erupted as two figures tumbled into the melon field, apanied by the man''s frantic shouts.


    The girl''s heart thumped wildly, filled with both fear and excitement as she looked up.


    Under the moonlight, the monster''s figure remained an indistinct shadow, but she could vaguely make out a pair of crimson, flickering eyes.


    In that instant, the girl felt as if she had been struck by a sledgehammer!


    An unexined ringing filled her head, a buzzing noise surrounded her, and a strong feeling of nausea rose in her throat, even making her feel like vomiting!


    She wanted to avert her gaze, but found herself involuntarily staring fixedly at the scene!


    Behind her, Xu Shuo slightly furrowed his brows, reached out to grab the girl''s braids, and manually turned her head for her.


    Unexpectedly, this entity was quite simr to the Evil God in the script of "Dancer", both affecting people''s thoughts invisibly after being seen, almost like an infection.


    "Bang!"


    Suddenly, a gunshot sounded in the still night.


    The monster was hit by a bullet, and in the dim moonlight, ck liquid sttered, but this was followed by even more terrified cries from the man.


    At this moment, another figure swiftly ran across the Fields, holding something in hand, and leaped gracefully down, forcefully hitting the monster and pushing it back a few steps!


    Xu Shuo let out a "wow" at this scene.


    "What... what is this thing?" The female reporter who hurried over held a phone in her left hand, staring in shock at the monster under the light.


    ck substance pulsed on its body with no distinct shape, tentacles grew wildly, and mouths and organs split open everywhere. It looked like a haphazardly assembled Stitched Monster, with only the crimson eyes atop its head standing out conspicuously!


    "Ugh..." A retching sound came from the side.


    The Trench Coat Detective had just been grabbed by the monster, emanating a fishy stench, his body trembling uncontrobly.


    Was this the legendary Green-Faced Fangs?!


    It didn''t have any rtion to "green-faced" or "fangs" at all!


    The monster that was pushed back two steps made a "gurgle gurgle" sound, which was actually the noise of its organs pulsing. The split mouth on its abdomen still had chunks of Flesh and Blood remaining, and ck substance and blood dripped incessantly.


    After being pushed back, the monster didn''t continue its assault for the moment, as if something inside was causing a strange surge in its upper body.


    It was like an animal ruminating.


    "How could you dare..."


    The female reporter, pale-faced, carefully stepped back and demanded of the Trench Coat Detective, "How the hell did you daree here alone?!"


    The Trench Coat Detective covered his throat and retched for a while, his face even more ashen: "I... I thought this was just a man-made thing, this might be the handiwork of Shi..."


    The female reporter: "???"


    Is this the reason you irresponsibly left your team working hard and came here alone to court death?


    Her face was full of disbelief, and to put it more vividly, it was probably like a ck question mark face.


    How on earth did such a single-minded guy survive up until the exam originally?!


    Oh, right, because first-years don''t die!

 Chapter 119: Chapter 115 Pollution

    The female journalist cursed silently, shouting at the person still retching on the ground, "Get up and run!"


    She watched the creature writhing before her with panic, no longer having the desire to take out her camera to snap pictures; a creature that could silently snatch Elder Huang from the vige was not something she believed she could defeat with her meager skills.


    Considering the time the Trench Coat Detective had left, it was possible that the creature had passed by them while holding Elder Huang!


    If it hadn''t attacked before, that meant they weren''t its intended prey, and there was no need to be a fool and approach it any further.


    Besides, the creature was far too eerie!


    It was the first time she had seen a monster that just by ncing at it once, made her feelpletely unwell, even slowing down her thought processes.


    The female journalist, fighting the nausea, kept her eyes fixed on the monster and quickly backed away a few steps, gently kicking the Trench Coat Detective when she reached his side.


    "Wait... I... Urgh!"


    The Trench Coat Detective got up, but as he braced his knees, he suddenly retched violently again, and this time, a broken and festering eyeball came out of his mouth!


    He was stunned, and so was the female journalist.


    Following that, the Trench Coat Detective frantically grabbed his own throat, the revulsion attacking him with renewed fury as he uncontrobly vomited!


    Chunks of flesh with fingernails, pieces of internal organs, and foul-smelling blood spewed from his mouth!


    The female journalist recoiled in horror, watching the Trench Coat Detective, who looked possessed with eyes rolled back, kneeling on the ground and screaming in agony. In the next moment, something urred to her, and she quickly looked at the monster that seemed to be rumiating.


    How could this be?!


    When she had rushed over, she hadn''t seen the monster do anything to the detective, but now, it seemed like the man had been contaminated long ago!


    The female journalist turned and ran. Although she was willing to save others, she wouldn''t sacrifice herself to do so!


    ...


    Midnight, Fields.


    The sound of flesh being chewed had stopped; now there was only the continuous retching of a man. The Trench Coat Detective trembled, his hysterical fit seemed as if he was trying to vomit out all his internal organs.


    Hiding in the cucumber field, the young girl shook with fear, wanting to look but not daring to: "How did that thing do it?"


    She had always yed the pure Mutant Script; although she had heard of ghosts and monsters killing in variant scripts, she never imagined it would be like this!


    When the female journalist used her phone''s light to search just before, the girl also got a clearer view of the creature''s face.


    The question was, she couldn''t draw it at all!


    What in the world was this thing?!


    Xu Shuo squatted in the fields, squinting his eyes, and said, "It''s probably a kind of contamination ability. You can think of it as a virus, like an ancient Evil God."


    "There was this kind of Evil God in ancient times?" the girl asked, turning her head in surprise.


    "It''s originally from ancient legends, isn''t it." Xu Shuo looked down at her, his expression always calm without any emotional fluctuation.


    In the eerily silent night, the man''s unfathomable face was outlined by the cold moonlight, creating a sense of oppression that was almost as intense as the monster''s.


    The girl unconsciously fell silent, awkwardly tugging at the corner of her mouth, yet she couldn''t help but move a little closer to him.


    At least, a monster was a monster, and a human was a human.


    The sounds from not far away gradually subsided, the Trench Coat Detective''s violent struggle eased intobored breathing, but the nauseating stench of blood only grew stronger.


    The upper body of the creature ceased its surging, its mouth split open with flesh and blood still hanging from it, and its crimson eyes locked onto the fleeing figure in the distance.


    In the dark of the night, a shadow shed by, quickly rushing towards the female journalist who had reached the edge of the Fields!


    Feeling the wind behind her, the female journalist pulled out an object with her right hand, turned around without looking, and with all her might mmed it down!


    Thump!


    The monster was hit and briefly stopped its movement, much like the previous reaction.


    "A... a brick??"


    As the monster moved away, the young girl grew bolder and poked her head out to look. In the hazy light, she saw a beige block-shaped object and was filled with confusion.


    Xu Shuo saw it even more clearly than her and nodded, saying, "It is indeed a brick."


    Clearly, this brick had some effect; the female journalist''s shots were urate without fail, and each time she managed to repel the monsterpletely.


    That was probably why she dared toe to the rescue.


    While the monster was still stunned, the female journalist quickly stepped forward and ran, leaping over to the vige path.


    Thud¡ª


    Motion came from behind; the female journalist nced back and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.


    The tentacle that flew towards her pierced through the ground, shattering the surrounding rocks, while the monstery in the fields, its hollow crimson eyes fixated on her.


    The female journalist was dazed for a moment before quickly regaining herposure, nervously shifting backward as she watched the monster with uncertainty.


    She noticed that the monster wasn''t pursuing her anymore.


    The creature was moving about on the edge of the fields, its organs quivering, making a "gurgling" noise, and a foul liquid kept dripping from its body.


    But it didn''t chase after her!


    Although this was what she thought, the female journalist didn''t dare to test it and quickly got up to run toward the vige.


    The Trench Coat Detective''s strange behavior just now had etched itself into her heart; this monster, it could contaminate with its attacks!


    ¡­


    Under the moonlit melon fields, green leaves trembled.


    "Shouldn''t we take the chance to run?"


    The girl was shivering as she nced towards the direction of the vige path, then at the man who was checking the Trench Coat Detective''s condition.


    Without turning his head, Xu Shuo said, "You can go first, I''ll observe a bit longer."


    Hearing this, the girl looked hesitant.


    She wanted to go but didn''t dare, afraid that the noise she made running away would attract the monster, effectively buying time for the man in front of her. And if she couldn''t outrun the monster...


    Thinking of that oue, the girl shivered and asked hesitantly, "Can I follow you for a while?"


    As Xu Shuo was turning the detective''s eyelid, he replied casually, "Sure, but if something really happenster, I''ll ditch you just like that female journalist did. Then it''ll be about who can run faster."


    Girl: "¡­"


    There was no need to put it so bluntly.


    After thinking it over, she quietly crouched back down into the melon field.


    She might as well just lie there all night without moving.


    Xu Shuo, looking at the flesh and blood strewn across the ground, confirmed that the Trench Coat Detective had indeed been vomited to death by him, such a pity.


    Indeed detectives tend to court death; this detective didn''t evenst as long as that detective NPC.


    Of course, it''s also possible that he was an NPC, too.


    While Xu Shuo was reflecting, a system window suddenly popped up in his line of sight, with no text, just an envelope-style window.


    He clicked on the envelope, and the p automatically opened, from which a piece of letter paper flew out.


    "Shuo, where has this ''Mutant Script'' gotten to? Not finished yet?"


    When mentor and student reach early-stage bonding, they have the opportunity tomunicate three times in each script. Unexpectedly, the first time was used by her for chatting.


    Xu Shuo replied with two characters and clicked confirm. The letter paper returned to the envelope and flew away with little wings.


    Xu Shuo: "¡­"


    Interesting design they have here, ha.


    The next moment, a "gurgling" noise came from behind him.

 Chapter 120: Chapter 116: Dreamcatcher

    Shortly after entering the game, Xu Shuo discovered an unused item in his yer''s Handbook.


    [Dreamcatcher: It is said that a long time ago, someone used it to catch a badger in the melon fields.]


    He had been saving up points to buy other items and wouldn''t normally buy something useless, especially since he had purchased this item before entering this Script Space, which meant it was probably intended for use here.


    Xu Shuo took out the "Dreamcatcher," arge purple butterfly that looked very much like a child''s toy.


    As the strange noise approached from behind, he turned around, took up the, and threw it down directly!


    Puff~


    Theting covered the upper body of the monster, with blood dripping from the mouth that split open on its belly, and those crimson eyes flickered through the purple mesh, refracting enchanting colors.


    The girl lying in the Fields: "..."


    She didn''t expect him to actually treat the monster as if it were a badger and brought a to catch it.


    Is there really nothing wrong with his thinking?


    It was silent in the night fields for quite a while.


    Xu Shuo took down the and talked to himself while looking at the Dreamcatcher that remained clean even after touching the monster: "No use?"


    The girl: How could that possibly be of any use!


    At that moment, the distorted Stitched Monster leaned in a little, bringing its foul stench with it.


    The girl lying in the Fields clutched her mouth tightly, watching the two silhouettes in the darkness from afar, hoping not to end up spending the night lying next to the monster in the field.


    In her view, the monster''s body started to twist irregrly, as if there was something inside swelling up, and this phenomenon reminded her of the regurgitation she had witnessed earlier.


    But the monster didn''t regurgitate back into its own mouth, but into others'' bodies!


    The more she thought about it, the more scared she became, already mourning for the Acting Vige Chief in her heart.


    However, the next moment, the monster began to copse downward like it had ingested a solvent, its body twisting and slowly dissolving into a pool of filth, seeping into the field.


    In the blink of an eye, under the silent moonlit night, only the man with the ambiguous expression remained standing in the field.


    The girl didn''t move until she saw that for a long moment nothing unusual happened to him, then she cautiously stood up.


    "What happened?"


    "I don''t know either," Xu Shuo turned his head towards her, an innocent look on his face, "I thought it was going to do something to me, but after looking at me, it just disappeared suddenly."


    The girl looked at him skeptically.


    But this time it was true, Xu Shuo really had no idea what happened.


    He had even been waiting¡ªif that thing was going to attack him, he could try using Qiuzi''s Character Card; and after transforming into Qiuzi, he would be able to use the "Dark Stealth" ability in this Script Space.


    Both seemed like beings of an Evil God, so it was uncertain which one would prove more formidable in a fight.


    Yet the creature just dissolved and vanished abruptly.


    Xu Shuo ground the mud under his feet, where the liquefied monster perfectly merged into the field, and even the stench had disappeared.


    All that was left were remnants of human flesh and blood.


    "Has it gone?" the girl slowly edged over.


    "It should be gone."


    Hearing this, the girl hesitated slightly in her steps, then moved to his side and turned on her phone''s shlight to look around.


    Having assured herself that there was nothing around but a fresh corpse and chunks of flesh, she finally let go of her worries, and then, unable to suppress her disgust any longer, she leaned on Xu Shuo and started to vomit beside him.


    This posture made Xu Shuo think that the monster had entered her body again.


    "Sorry, I don''t know why, but I feel really sick!" The girl vomited out her dinner, with cold sweat streaming down her forehead.


    "Haven''t you seen this before?" Xu Shuo asked with an implied meaning.


    "I''ve never encountered such a strange thing before!" The girl shook her head frantically.


    Before entering the game, she had heard that this was a test script, which would be more difficult, but in fact, she had only experienced a neer script and one level one script before the test.


    If it hadn''t been for encountering this kind of monster so suddenly, she would have almost thought that this Script Space was entirely safe.


    The girl vomited to the point where only bile was left, then saw the Trench Coat Detective lying beside her, and quickly covered her own mouth, not daring to vomit again.


    After quickly looking around the fields, Xu Shuo saw no other anomalies, then turned his head and said, "It looks like tonight''s business is over, let''s go, it''s time to head back."


    "But but but..." The girl stammered, trembling as she pointed at the person in the fields.


    "It''s none of our business." Xu Shuo said coldly, then turned and walked onto the vige path, not looking back as he headed towards the vige.


    The girl felt a chill in her heart but dared not say anything, quickening her pace to catch up and following closely behind.


    The dark mountain vige was eerily silent, devoid of any light except for the moon, which was barely visible behind the clouds, as if swallowed by the Abyss.


    Having just experienced such a terrifying incident, the girl was suspicious and wary as she walked, turning around suddenly from time to time, fearing that something ghostly might burst out of the corners.


    It was only when the two of them returned to the two-story building at the foot of the mountain that she let out a sigh of relief.


    At this moment, looking at the figure ahead of her, she hesitated and asked, "Acting Vige Chief, why did you choose to save me before?"


    "The painting on the wall is not yet finished, and I''ve already paid you." Xu Shuo said indifferently, ncing at the second floor before walking in through the door.


    "I see..." The girl tugged at the corner of her mouth.


    If it hadn''t been for that painting, she wouldn''t have thought of going out to look for badgers, no, "Green-Faced Fangs" tonight.


    Xu Shuo''s room was on the first floor; he ignored the girl, yawned, closed his bedroom door, and went straight to bed.


    He had already decided that he would reduce staying upte and pulling all-nighters in the future.


    Since they hadn''t caught the "Green-Faced Fangs" tonight, there must be otherpletion conditions, just like the cause of Qiuzi''s death...


    Thinking of these things, Xu Shuo fell asleep quickly.


    The girl stood alone in the pitch-ck living room, the coolness of thete spring crawling from her feet to her head, causing her to shiver, and she quickly touched the wall and made her way up the stairs to her own door.


    At that moment, the door across from her opened, the sudden noise startling the girl, making her hair stand on end!


    When she realized what had happened, she saw it was the female reporter.


    "You were in the field just now, weren''t you?" The female reporter turned on the light of her phone, looking at her with a strange expression.


    "Um..." The girl hung her head in silence.


    "Can you not always act like this?" The female reporter sighed helplessly, saying, "In this event, people can really die, cleaned out from the inside out, and if we''re not careful, we could all be wiped out!"


    The girl looked at her with some fear.


    Of course, she knew; the system had made it clear before entering the game that test tasks could be lethal!


    But at that time, she did not have a clear understanding of it until the Trench Coat Detective died in such a peculiar way right in front of her, throwing the girl intoplete turmoil!


    She had thought that maybe the vige chief would be a good person, but the other party, in some respects, showed extreme indifference and even a certain terror.


    This script was way too dangerous!


    "How about it, will you cooperate with me now?" the female reporter asked with an intense gaze, "Exchange information?"

 Chapter 121: Chapter 117: The word count of the previous chapter was 2222

    The following morning, the tranquility of the vige was shattered by a high-decibel scream.


    Even if Xu Shuo went to bedte, he was always the earliest riser, unless he had been forced to pull an all-nighter.


    The steamed buns in the steamer were ready, and just as Xu Shuo was lifting the lid to check on them, a panicked viger burst in.


    "Vige... Acting Vige Chief, outside..."


    Xu Shuo turned his head, nced at the pale-faced viger, then gestured with his eyes towards the staircase.


    The viger hesitated, then looked up to see two young womening down the stairs¡ªone was the outsider from yesterday, and the other was the female artist who had stayed in the vige for more than two months.


    Instantly, his expression became more restrained, and he said sheepishly, "Acting Vige Chief, you''d better go and see for yourself. There''s a problem at Elder Huang''s melon field."


    Xu Shuo looked puzzled, "What kind of problem?"


    This also conveniently asked the question on behalf of the two women upstairs, who gave the viger a friendly and concerned smile.


    The viger squeezed out an awkward smile, then quickly averted his gaze, somewhat sheepishly telling Xu Shuo, "Acting Vige Chief, it''s his field... the melon vines have been destroyed by someone, and Elder Huang was so upset he fainted. He''s just been taken to the town hospital. And... and there''s something else..."


    He, however, didn''t know how to continue with the rest of the story.


    The detective had only arrived in their vige yesterday, and no one expected to find him dead in the fields this morning, and in such a strange manner, creating anxiety among the vigers.


    Xu Shuo nodded in understanding, then apologized to the two women who hade downstairs, "I''m sorry, I need to deal with some vige matters first. Please help yourselves to breakfast. It''s all ready¡ªhandmade buns, absolutely pure green food with no pollution!"


    His assertion was so firm and his face so honest, it left the two women with odd expressions.


    The female journalist, after briefly pondering, chose not to follow them and said with a smile, "Then, Acting Vige Chief, you go ahead with your business; we''ll manage on our own here."


    The young woman shyly nodded at them.


    ...


    ...


    Xu Shuo left with the viger, his face calm. Once they had walked a little way, the viger could no longer hide his nervousness.


    He asked anxiously, "Acting Vige Chief, howe that female journalist is at your house?"


    "She came over yesterday to ask about promotional themes for the vige, and we talked sote that I offered her a ce to stay," Xu Shuo exined, then reassured, "Don''t worry, that female journalist has no ill intentions; I think she genuinely wants to help promote our vige."


    Reassured by his repeated assurances, the viger felt somewhat relieved, but then he remembered the incident in the melon field and became anxious again.


    He looked around and whispered to Xu Shuo, "Acting Vige Chief, actually, someone discovered this morning that Elder Huang was missing, and there was a lot of blood in his house. Nobody knows what happened. And Old Zhang, when he was going down to the fields, found that detective''s body in Elder Huang''s melon field!"


    By the time the viger finished speaking, he was already pale and panic-stricken, nervously awaiting Xu Shuo''s response.


    Xu Shuo frowned, "The detective stayed at my housest night, and I didn''t notice him going out in the middle of the night. Let''s go to the fields to have a look first."


    He had already noticed that almost everyone in the vige relied on the decisions of this Acting Vige Chief.


    Whether it was spreading rumors about "Green-Faced Fangs" or dealing with the vige''s various issues, whenever they were unsure, they would all turn to this young vige chief to make a decision and consider the matter settled!


    Over time, there was even a sense of blind obedience, with no thought of their own.


    And the reason for this situation was simply because this vige chief could lead them to prosperity; it was just such a simple and unadorned reason.


    ...


    Below the river, in the fields, arge crowd of vigers had already gathered.


    The nosy children were kept at the back, and the women wouldn''t let them get any closer, except for a little girl whom no one paid attention to, who managed to squeeze through with her tiny frame, curiously looking towards the action.


    But due to the crowd surrounding the fields, all one could see were just a few legs lying there, no matter how hard one looked.


    So she had to give up, and as her eyes shifted, she noticed a broken gourd seedling on the ground, trampled by the crowd, and she picked it up.


    The little girl, as if she had found a treasure, clutched the gourd seedling and ran out of the crowd, but as she was about to put this fruit to her mouth, a hand suddenly reached out from above and directly took her food away.


    "...?"


    The little girl was stunned for a moment and looked up, her entire face adorably clueless.


    Xu Shuo couldn''t help but pinch her chubby cheek, and then he fished a few candies from his pocket to give to her before patting the girl''s head.


    Then, someone shouted, "The Acting Vige Chief is here," and instantly, the vigers started buzzing again, chattering loudly, while the crowd naturally parted to make way.


    Xu Shuo handed the naughty little girl to a vige woman and walked toward the fields.


    Several strong men closely surrounded the crime scene to prevent it from being seen by nosy individuals; the vigers still knew that such matters required confidentiality.


    Because if not handled properly, it would be a matter of the whole vige''s reputation, and in this era, reputation was the most important thing!


    When Xu Shuo arrived, he immediately attracted a group of eager gazes.


    A straw mat wasid on the ground, and he pretended to crouch down, lifted the mat for a nce, then frowned and asked, "Did you hear anything strangest night?"


    The vigers all shook their heads, one after another denying any knowledge.


    Someone hesitantly said, "I was up in the night, and I didn''t see anything strange. The melon field is so far from where we live; even if there had been any noise, we couldn''t have heard it!"


    The houses in the vige were built along the hillside, while the fields were below the river, indeed some distance away.


    Xu Shuo looked at the detective''s ashen face, touched the side of his neck, and then said, "It looks like he was choked to death by his own vomit, call the police and just tell them he suddenly came out in the middle of the night and then died suddenly here."


    Hearing the word "police," the vigers'' expressions turned unhappy and they became noticeably agitated.


    "But in the vige, Elder Huang''s family also..."


    "Just say that he went out to look for his wife who went back to her maiden home," Xu Shuo nced at the person who spoke and said indifferently, "The detective is an outsider after all, and he came here with amission. This kind of thing can''t be hidden for long."


    "He said he was acting on the Vige Chief''smission..."


    Someone murmured quietly, obviously unable to resist ming Xu Shuo for the situation.


    Xu Shuo frowned, "That''s my old man''s business, I didn''t know he would pull a stunt like this. Anyway, let''s get past this incident, we will talk about the restter. For now, let''s go check out Elder Huang''s house."


    He emphasized his tone, and the people next to him dared not say anything more, clustering around him as they walked towards the vige.


    Several men still stood guard in the fields while someone nced at the situation here and hurriedly ran off.


    The situation at Elder Huang''s house was even moreplicated, with blood all over the bedroom floor, and no body to be found.


    Considering the scattered chunks of questionable meat around the detective in the fields, some vigers turned pale, muttering prayers and entreaties to the gods and Buddha.


    Xu Shuo stood at the door and looked inside, this amount of blood loss, and no sign of a struggle, meant the killer probably struck a fatal blow immediately.


    So, why did it drag the body to the gourd field to eat?


    More importantly, why did it target Elder Huang?

 Chapter 122: Chapter 118: On How to Steam or Braise a Badger

    Compared to the detective''s inexplicable death, the incident at Elder Huang''s house seemed to cause even more concern and fear among the vigers, with everyone''s eyes flickering and their demeanor hesitant to speak.


    Xu Shuo knew they had skeletons in their closet and didn''t bother to ask further.


    After instructing several strong young men to wash away the bloodstains, Xu Shuo used the need to ponder the situation as an excuse to leave for the time being.


    He needed to figure out the behavioral pattern of "Green-Faced Fangs" and whyst night''s mission wasn''t consideredplete. Did he need to beat the creature half to death before capturing it?


    Besides, if there was something about Elder Huang rting to "Green-Faced Fangs," it would only be his wife, who disappeared not long ago.


    Actually, Elder Huang''s wife hadn''t gone back to her mother''s home; while washing clothes by the river, she was dragged into the water by something.


    At the time, blood stained the water''s surface, and the vigers who heard and came by didn''t dare to go down and save her. By the time they mustered the courage to go into the water, her figure was nowhere to be found.


    On the surface, Elder Huang cried his heart out, but afterwards, it was business as usual for him.


    The Acting Vige Chief had an inkling about the incident because the woman who married Elder Huang was thest of her family line. After her death, the remaining estate naturally all went to Elder Huang''s purse, leaving no chance for others to im a piece of it.


    It was inevitable that some would be jealous.


    However, the old man was cunning, immediately gifting a piece ofnd to the Acting Vige Chief to help keep the matter under wraps.


    The person who came to the temple yesterday seeking information about the journalist and the detective was him too. He was probably worried that his wife''s incident would get out, as taking advantage of a family''s extinction is not something to be proud of.


    Xu Shuo frowned in thought, so who would want Elder Huang dead?


    Walking down the vige road, he nced at the fields below the river.


    Because of the call to the police, the detective''s body could not be moved casually, and several strong men were still guarding it in the fields.


    The originally well-growing melon field was now trampled recklessly by a panicked crowd, senselessly killing off arge segment of the vines.


    The melon field was close to the riverbank, the most convenient location for drawing water. The fields behind it required digging ditches alongside for irrigation, making the melon field the best in growth among the entire fields.


    Further back was thend of the Zhang Family, and it was Old Zhang who discovered the incident in the melon field this morning while going down to the fields. The two had previously quarreled over water diversion issues as well.


    But that was all several months ago.


    Nevertheless, if Xu Shuo were to follow this line of thought, he quickly thought of another person.


    A while ago, an heirloom vase, an antique, was stolen from Old Zhang''s family; it was said to have been taken by Old Li, but after the incident blew up, no one could find the vase''s location.


    By chance, the Acting Vige Chief also knew the truth.


    As a respected leader responsible for all kinds of issues in the vige, the Chief was almost aware of every little secret among the vigers.


    Although on the surface, this vige seemed to be a picture of serenity and harmony, the filth hidden beneath could be just as abundant as the silt in the river.


    To put it inly, which family didn''t have some scandalous secrets?


    Looking at his own unfinished mission, Xu Shuo thought it through and decided to stake out Old Zhang''s house tonight to verify whether his spections about "Green-Faced Fangs" were correct.


    As to how to capture it...


    Xu Shuo opened the yer''s Handbook and tried to send a Little Flying Message to Hong Rao.


    But the system prompted, "Unable to send." He was taken aback, thought for a moment, then deleted the original text and re-edited a new one.


    [Is the Dreamcatcher the mission object this time?]


    [What is the Dreamcatcher''s function?]


    [How to use the Dreamcatcher?]


    [On the use of the?]


    [How to cook a badger just right, steamed or braised?]]


    After four revisions, Xu Shuo finally managed to send out the message and deeply understood what the other person meant by not being able to speak inly or hint at things.


    Thinking about it, the in-game dialogue function really wasn''t very useful, no wonder Hong Rao used it just for chatting.


    Now, all he wanted was to wait until his master-student bond upgraded to a higher level, and have Hong Rao directly transfer artifacts to him¡ªit would be a waste not to use it.


    ...


    Lost in thought, Xu Shuo didn''t go back home after leaving Elder Huang''s house but instead took a detour to the shrine hall.


    The little girl, dressed in a tattered jacket, was sitting on the threshold eating candy. Seeing him approaching, her eyes sparkled, and her mouth curved into an adorable smile.


    Xu Shuo walked over, picked her up, and pinched the little girl''s soft cheeks. Heughed and said, "In the future, don''t casually go to those kinds of ces, okay? Children shouldn''t meddle in adult affairs."


    "Mhm mhm," the little girl quickly nodded in agreement.


    "So, what were you looking at just now?" Xu Shuo asked, continuing to pinch her cheek.


    "Um, there was a really strange smell." The little girl blinked her innocent big eyes, her mouth full of candy as she mumbled, "It smelled sweet and fragrant, I wanted to eat it."


    ...


    Xu Shuo remembered seeing the girl picking up young melon sprouts from the fields to eat. Those undeveloped sprouts had no vor and were quite dry.


    She was collectively supported by the vigers and wouldn''t be without breakfast; even if she went to someone''s house to ask for food, she could get a bowl of porridge.


    At her age, she probably couldn''t eat that much.


    Then, Xu Shuo remembered that he had filled arge bag with snacks for the little girl yesterday.


    Carrying the girl, he returned to the right room of the shrine hall. Looking around, the room was dim without windows, the bed was in, and the table was clean. Only an empty stic bag remained.


    Xu Shuo fell into contemtion.


    The little girl also followed his gaze to the stic bag, and immediately her round, plump face showed an anxious expression as she chewed the candy more carefully than before.


    "Uncle Dai, I''m sorry¡­" she hesitated before speaking.


    Because Uncle Dai had a stern look on his face, which was truly scary.


    More importantly,st night before Uncle Dai left, he told her not to eat too much. But she couldn''t help herself and, before she realized, had identally eaten it all.


    She was a bit worried that not listening might make her disliked, so she thought it best to apologize first.


    Xu Shuo didn''t speak but looked back at her and began to pull at her cheeks, causing her to open her mouth unwillingly.


    "Ah," Xu Shuo signaled for her to open her mouth.


    "Ah~" The little girl didn''t understand what he was doing but obediently opened her mouth anyway.


    The girl''s white teeth were still covered with bits of chewed Sweet Candy, her young teeth not as sharp as an adult''s, her tongue was healthily pink, and her mouth was rtively clean.


    Only, there was a faint and strange smell emanating from deep within her throat.


    It was like something long sealed away, rotted, and fermented, and finally mixed into an unbearable, putrid scent.


    But the little girl blinked her sparkling big eyes, obediently keeping her mouth open, her chubby cheeks were soft and adorable to pinch, and her whole tender face looked utterly innocent.


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    At that moment, the Little Flying Message brought over a reply from Hong Rao:


    [Shuo,e to understand what it''s like to rot in a jail cell. Badgers are an endangered species and cannot be eaten but must be taken care of.]

 Chapter 123: Chapter 119: Draw a Little Girl

    At the entrance of the vige, in front of the propaganda wall.


    The girl stood again at the end of the white wall, staring nkly at a nk space on the wall.


    She had seen the legendary "Green-Faced Fangs" the previous night, but she really couldn''t draw.


    She remembered the monster was pitch-ck, as if it had many limbs and mouths, with thergest mouth on its belly and a pair of red eyes, but she couldn''t remember at all how those things were put together.


    Whenever she tried to recall it, her head would swell with pain and nausea.


    She took out her phone to look, but the ckness inside had mushed into a blob, even blurrier than the image in her mind.


    The girl rubbed her head, which ached with pain.


    This morning was not peaceful; the fields were bustling with noise. The cacophony from all directions made it even harder for her to concentrate on painting, her brain felt like it was about to explode, her thoughts a tangled mess!


    Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and patted her shoulder, startling the girl back to her senses.


    The cool breeze of the morning made her mind feel a bit clearer.


    Turning around, she saw the vige chief holding a little girl, a rough and burly man and a soft, cute little girl¡ªan odd pairing.


    "Vige, vige chief?" The girl exhaled, greeting him somewhat awkwardly.


    "You just now..." Xu Shuo pointed to her face and said, calmly uttering something quite terrifying, "grew a mouth on your face, your hair turned into tentacles, and your body was emitting a ck qi. Were you thinking of some strange things?"


    "???" The girl''s face was one of shock.


    Frightened, she hurriedly touched her face and hair, only to find that nothing was amiss; her face was still smooth, her hair still sleek.


    Xu Shuo thenughed, "Just kidding."


    Girl: "..."


    This was not funny at all!


    The detective''s death the previous night was vivid in her memory, spewing from his mouth the flesh and blood chewed by the monster. Just thinking about it made her feel sick. She had a psychological shadow over these strange and bizarre things!


    Moreover, the vige chief had saved herst night, and in return, she had betrayed a lot of information about the vige to the female reporter. Now she felt a bit guilty.


    The girl gripped her paintbrush tightly and asked with unease, "Did you want to see me for something, Vige Chief?"


    "This thing, you still don''t know how to paint it?" Xu Shuo gestured towards the white wall behind him.


    This wall was the vige''s way of promoting itself, and many tourists who came for the greenery liked to take photos and check in below it, almost bing a trending spot.


    The skills of the female painter were beyond doubt. Starting from the archway at the beginning of the vige, the vibrant colors, twisted painting style, and fragmented images had already interpreted the grotesque nature of "Green-Faced Fangs" to the fullest, only the final step revealing its true face was left.


    The original deadline was two months, just up at the end of this month, and the acting vige chief had already paid the fee.


    But she was stuck.


    In the script, the character card that Xu Shuo had flipped to had only made a little progress so far, so he wanted to encourage the female painter to finish it faster and take a look.


    In fact, the girl also wanted to speed up the process; she said distressingly right then, "I can''t remember what the monster looked likest night."


    Xu Shuo squinted his eyes, "Can''t you just draw the statue in the fields?"


    Seeing this, the girl adamantly shook her head, her gaze somewhat wary as she looked at him, even backing away two steps to protect the white wall behind her.


    The task''s meaning of "real" wasn''t that simple. If she could just draw anything, would the task need to spell out two more words?


    Xu Shuo rested his chin in one hand and pondered for a while, then leaned the girl he was holding forward slightly, smiling more softly, "Then how about, you draw her?"


    The little girl, eating a lollipop, blinked curiously upon hearing this, her face full of wonder.


    The girl''s head throbbed again, but she insisted, "No, I have to draw the real ''Green-Faced Fangs''. Only this can''t be taken lightly!"


    Her intentions were clear, this was a task, and there could be no backing down!


    "If you think I''m taking too long, then fine, I can return all thatpensation to you!" she thought for a moment, then mustered her courage to say, "I don''t want a single penny!"


    It wasn''t even her money, after all.


    And if I give back the entire payment for the drawing, you surely can''t threaten me with it anymore!


    Thinking of this, the girl mentally apuded her own cleverness.


    Xu Shuo looked at her amusedly and said, "Now you can''t even remember what you sawst night. How will you draw it? Are you going to go and see it again tonight? I certainly won''t apany you."


    The girl was taken aback. She thought about it more and more until her face turned pale; no, she really didn''t want to encounter that eerie monster again!


    And the truth was, she knew exactly what the monster looked like in her memory, but she just couldn''t transfer it to the canvas. She didn''t know where to start.


    Xu Shuo moved closer to her, his deep eyes staring intently at the girl with a voice slow and low, almost bewitching, he said softly, "How about it, why don''t you trust me this time and draw this little girl?"


    With her mind in turmoil over her script task, the girl still held on to a shred of rationality and quickly shook her head, backing away.


    "If you don''t draw, then I will tie you up and draw it myself!" Xu Shuo suddenly threatened menacingly, "After all, this is my wall!"


    "..." the girl.


    Everyone here had been reasonable, except for you.


    At this moment, two police cars drove up the main road leading to the vige entrance. Even though the vigers were very reluctant to call the police, they did it anyway.


    Xu Shuo''s expression faded, and he spoke lightly, "Forget it, continue pondering on your own. But I suggest you not think too deeply, lest you follow in the detective''s footsteps, because I wasn''t joking with my earlier remark."


    After saying that, he picked up the little girl and turned to leave.


    The girl looked at the approaching police, then at the man''s retreating figure. Slightly bewildered, she reflected.


    The remark from before?


    Following in the detective''s footsteps?


    Wait, the girl had a sudden realization and quickly touched her own cheek and then her hair, her heart pounding furiously.


    She hadn''t truly mutated just now, had she?


    No wonder her head felt slightly swollen and painful; perhaps she had indeed been contaminated by that monsterst night?


    The more the girl thought, the more terrified she became, her face pale.


    At that moment, the police cars came closer and stopped beside her.


    The officer in the passenger seat, seeing a girl standing there looking distressed, couldn''t help but show concern, "Hello, are you alright?" he asked.


    The girl snapped back to reality, lowered her gaze, and shook her head, "No, I''m okay."


    "This is Qingliu Vige, right? You don''t look like you''re from the vige," the officer continued to inquire.


    "Um... I''m an artist invited by the vige chief," the girl said with her head low, her slender figure in a floral dress looking slightly fragile and introverted.


    "Oh!"


    The officer had an epiphany and nced at the dozens of meters long painting wall, then at the paintbrush in the girl''s hand, saying appreciatively, "So you painted all these? Then you must be quite familiar with the happenings in this vige. We received a report that someone had an incidentst night?"


    "Yes," the girl replied reservedly, pointing to the fields not far away.


    The vigers also noticed the police cars by now and were quickly approaching, their expressions as if they were afraid she might say something.

 Chapter 124: Chapter 120 The Ghost Born of Human Heart

    "He died of asphyxiation."


    In the fields, the forensic examiner who had followed them examined the scene and furrowed his brow in confusion.


    Choking to death on one''s own vomit wasn''t unheard of, but for this detective to suffocate mysteriously in the middle of the night in a melon field was very odd indeed.


    The vigers standing nearby watched them nervously, their faces a mixture of simplicity, honesty, and a bit of fear of the officials.


    Although they had agreed to call the police, before the police arrived, some vigers had spontaneously cleaned up the things in the melon field, at least clearing away the suspicious chunks of flesh and blood.


    If those things had been left there, it really would have been impossible to exin the situation with ten mouths, and it was unclear what the vige chief was thinking, insisting on getting the police involved.


    Some vigers couldn''t help butin inwardly.


    Meanwhile, Xu Shuo, holding the little girl, took a detour and circled back to the field.


    The police were surprised to see the Acting Vige Chief of Qingliu Vige bring a five- or six-year-old child to the crime scene, but Xu Shuo had made up his mind that he wouldn''t let go until tonight!


    The little girl was well-behaved, quietly eating her snacks without speaking, just curiously observing these strangers and looking at the things in the field.


    "Comrades, you''ve worked hard. Why not go over to my ce for some tea and rest?" Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    "Acting Vige Chief, about this matter..." the leading officer looked towards the field, tilting his head.


    "Let''s talk as we walk," Xu Shuo interrupted before he could finish, turning to leave.


    Three policemen and the forensic examiner nced at each other, nodded, and after leaving one person to watch the scene, the rest followed Xu Shuo away.


    The vigers watched their retreating figures, exchanging nces and whispering among themselves.


    ...


    Xu Shuo led them to sit in the ancestral hall.


    Compared to going back to his own house, it was closer, and anyway, no one usually came to the ancestral hall. It was a waste not to use such arge space.


    "Acting Vige Chief, with today''s incident, the problems in your vige aren''t just a little bit anymore. And now, it''s an outsider who''s run into trouble," said three officials sitting in the main hall of the ancestral hall while drinking tea, their words loaded with implication.


    With the soft little girl in his arms, Xu Shuo smiled and said, "Actually, I called you over here because of these issues. I don''t know if you believe it, but all this is caused by a monster in our vige."


    "What monster? You can''t talk nonsense. I know Qingliu Vige is special, but everyone knows that is all fake," an officer rolled his eyes, put down the teacup, and said, "Acting Vige Chief, let me make this clear, the detective has quite a reputation, and we can''t settle this matter privately!"


    "If we intended to hide anything, we wouldn''t have called the police."


    Xu Shuo shook his head, his face filled with sorrowful sighs, "It''s just because of this that I''m at a loss."


    Hearing him speak like this, the three exchanged nces, their expressions still full of doubt and distrust.


    After all, in this day and age, since the founding of the country, bing a spirit was not permitted, and they certainly wouldn''t take seriously the superstitious talk of mountain spirits and ghosts among the country folk.


    Then, Xu Shuo went on to say, "Believe it or not, why don''t yourades stay tonight and see for yourselves? I''ve also been struggling with how to deal with that monster. Since you are not afraid, why not stay and help out?"


    "You''re not nning on faking something, are you?" the policeman looked at him skeptically.


    "When you catch that monster tonight, you''ll know whether I''m talking nonsense or not," Xu Shuo said with a helpless look, "If someone is indeed faking it, yourades surely won''t be overpowered, right?"


    "Heh, your reverse psychology won''t work on us!"


    "I have a jar of old liquor at home that''s been buried for over twenty years and has never been opened, but I don''t know if it''s good or not."


    "We can''t drink alcohol during duty."


    "The old gentleman also hid away a canister of Da Hong Pao tea..."


    ...


    In any case, these few policemen were still kept behind by Xu Shuo, though they were unwilling to stay at the Vige Chief''s house and instead took up residence at a rural B&B at the entrance of the vige.


    The detective''s body had been moved out of the fields, but the rural B&B staunchly refused to let such filth in, so it was temporarily wrapped in a straw mat and ced outside, looking as pitiful as could be.


    Meanwhile, Xu Shuo, staring at the progress bar on the Character Card which still showed no advance, felt somewhat worried.


    The only criteria to fill Zhang Shou''s bar was to take revenge on Mr. Guo and to expose those events to the public.


    The method to fill Qiuzi''s was quite special; after it was activated, it just filled up slowly on its own. And when he offered to give the starring role to Xuena, it immediately filled halfway and thenpletely, once the murderer who killed him was found.


    But this Acting Vige Chief''s progress bar wasn''t moving at all!


    He had already brought his dad some food, but the progress bar didn''t budge, and even after seeing the monster at night, it still wouldn''t move.


    Really high maintenance.


    Sighing, Xu Shuo carried the little girl back to his own home, only to see the female journalist seated at the living room table, writing and drawing something.


    She didn''t avoid him when she saw hime in; she merely nced up and then continued with what she was doing.


    It was truly unusual, the journalist didn''t even go over to pry for news when the police arrived.


    "What are you doing?" Since the other party wasn''t avoiding him, Xu Shuo naturally went over to have a look.


    "Acting Vige Chief, what do you think is the reason behind the appearance of ''Green-Faced Fangs''?" The female journalist stopped her writing, smiled up at him, and then couldn''t help but let her gaze drift towards the little girl he was holding.


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow but did not speak.


    The female journalist withdrew her gaze and continued, "When that thing attacked mest night, I noticed it seemed unable to chase me out of the fields. I found that strange, so I did a little investigation.


    "To tell you the truth, I discovered itst night acting on behalf of the Huang Family. Since it could leave the fields to abduct people from the vige, this indicates it definitely isn''t confined to that ce.


    "Later, I heard that there are disputes among the vigers here, and more or less something has happened to each."


    At this point, she paused and looked at Xu Shuo again.


    Xu Shuo took the opportunity to sit in the chair next to her, his rough fingers resting on her notebook, following one name to another, saying, "If we follow these rtionships, below Elder Huang should be Old Zhang, because the two had had a pretty bad falling out over a water diversion issue with their fields."


    "Is it rted to Old Mr. Li because he stole something that was Elder Zhang''s family heirloom?" the female journalist said quickly: "After that issue came to light, Old Mr. Li imed that ''Green-Faced Fangs'' had done it."


    In fact, the vase was sold the very day it was stolen, which is why it was never found.


    The vigers attributed their own deeds to a legendary monster; those rumors, whilebeled as false, were in some ways true, only that humans were the culprits.


    While they were using this legend to seek riches, the real "Green-Faced Fangs" actually dide into being.


    The people with their own schemes indeed bred a "ghost"!


    The female journalist took a deep breath and spoke earnestly, "So, if I''m not mistaken, all this is actually the doing of the vigers themselves, right?"


    Xu Shuo, however, didn''t continue on this topic and chuckled, "Before we discuss that, how about we first talk about what exactly should be written in the promotional report about the vige?"


    The female journalist: "..."


    She sensed a hint of danger.


    More importantly, why hadn''t the task beenpleted when she had already followed this train of thought to its conclusion?


    What step had she not fulfilled?

 Chapter 125: Chapter 121 When Night Falls

    Night fell once again.


    The female reporter was forced to send a ttering report praising the beauty of the vige to her employer during the day, but that was of little concern to her. What troubled her most was why her assignment still wasn''t consideredplete.


    Even the vige chief himself had hinted that the "Green-Faced Fangs" affair really did involve the vigers because they summoned a real monster with the gloom in their hearts.


    What was still not right?


    At night, after dinner, the vige chief went to send the little girl back to the ancestral hall. In the living room illuminated by dim candlelight, only the female reporter and the artist remained.


    Looking at the girl who was in a daze, who had been out of it from the beginning to the end, the reporter frowned and asked, "What''s wrong with you?"


    The girl hugged her head with both hands and sighed, "I can''t capture the true face of that monster."


    "Green-Faced Fangs?"


    The girl listlessly nodded her head.


    Hearing this, the reporter''s eyes shifted, and she leaned in with her chin propped on her hands, "Hey, since all those paintings are yours, you must know a lot about the legend of ''Green-Faced Fangs,'' right?"


    The girl nced at her, "What else do you want to know?"


    "Tell me about this legend, what exactly is it all about?" the reporter asked.


    "Well, it is said that thousands of years ago, the vige was facing natural and man-made disasters, on the brink of annihtion. Then people began praying to gods and buddha, and ''Green-Faced Fangs'' appeared," the girl recalled the beginning of the murals and said, "As long as a boy and a girl were sacrificed to it every year, the vige would enjoy peace and good weather."


    Most ancient myths originated this way, due to people''s needs, resulting in various images of deities embodying their hopes.


    But as times changed, "gods" that consumed boys and girls began to be demonized, denounced, and sealed away. Later, rumors circted that these demons often broke the seals to wreak havoc and destroy the peace.


    Subsequently, "Green-Faced Fangs" was thoroughly perceived as a monster.


    These were all painted on the walls, which the artist had previously studied carefully in order to reconstruct the true face of "Green-Faced Fangs." It didn''t matter to speak of them now.


    The reporter pondered with a frown, murmuring thoughtfully, "Maybe, I''ve got the definition of ''Green-Faced Fangs'' wrong?"


    The candlelight in the living room flickered, casting their faces in a dim light with dancing shadows, bright and dark intermittently.


    Suddenly, the reporter narrowed her eyes, "Why has the vige chief been gone so long?"


    The girl beside her was startled and seemed to remember something. Her expression was odd and somewhat apprehensive, "He might be going to see that pitch-ck monster again tonight."


    Frankly, the artist also wanted to take another look, but she was truly afraid.


    Timid but curious, those words probably described her well.


    The reporter''s expression changed, and then she stood up decisively, "I''m going to have a look myself!"


    The girl: ???


    She looked on in rm, stuttering, "You¡­ Aren''t you afraid of that monster? That detective died so bizarrely yesterday; we can''t deal with this thing at all!"


    "As long as we don''t enter its killing field, we should be fine," the reporter said with a frown. "The detective ran into trouble yesterday probably because he got too close and disturbed it while it was feeding."


    And yesterday, when she ran out of the field, the monster didn''t pursue her. What was more important was that her equipment could still be used one more time.


    In her spection, the monster was currently acting ording to the vige rumors; she wasn''t from this vige at all, so there was no reason for the monster to target her proactively.


    The reporter gathered her notebook, stood up and said, "I''m heading over. If you stay here, you shouldn''t be attacked. If nothing else happens, just don''t run around."


    After finishing, the reporter turned and left the living room. The me on the table flickered slightly due to her movement, its light briefly dimming, further suppressing the atmosphere in the room to its lowest point.


    The girl stayed alone in the room, her heartbeat thudding particrly loud in the silence, which was frighteningly quiet.


    ...


    ¡­


    The night was dark, and the wind was high; it was just like the night before.


    The vige surrounded by three mountainsy shrouded in darkness as if plunged into the abyss, deadly silent and eerie.


    At the entrance of the vige, a wisp of smoke curled up. Four figures leaned in a corner, puffing and blowing smoke, exuding a sense of vicissitudes, with nces asionally cast in the direction of the vige.


    "You really believe him, waiting here in the middle of the night?" someone sighed.


    "We could have just chalked it up to an idental death, but he insisted on giving an exnation. So let it be¡ªwe''re not the ones responsible anyway. Let''s see what kind of effect they cane up with," another said.


    "That''s true, and we even got half a day off."


    As they spoke, the surroundings gradually went silent. Suddenly, a police officer who kept his eyes on the direction of the vige said, "I think I saw someoneing out."


    "Where?"


    "Let me see, let me see!"


    Instantly, the three men who had been casually talking dropped their cigarettes, crushed them out, and crowded at the wall, peeking toward the vige center''s square.


    A frail figure walked tentatively along the vige road, the moonlight enshrouding her form as she looked around, seemingly searching for something, looking utterly lost.


    She didn''t look like she would cause trouble no matter how one looked at her.


    As they pondered, a piercing, brief scream suddenly rang out from the vige, painting the atmosphere with an ultimate blend of terror and panic!


    The four people who heard the scream shuddered involuntarily, a chill running down their spines.


    Has something happened?!


    Their hearts skipped, and they quickly ran toward the source of the sound.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    As the night deepened, the little girl who had been coaxed to bed in the right room of the ancestral hall obediently climbed into bed to sleep.


    But though she had fallen asleep, it seemed as if she hadn''t.


    In an era without smartphones for entertainment, Xu Shuo had pulled out a game of checkers and sat beside the long wooden table, idly ying against himself.


    The candle''s me, dwindled to a mere stub, illuminated the tiny room, casting his shadow on the wall, which flickered slightly beneath the dim, dancing candlelight.


    The room was quiet and still, the sound of the checker pieces hitting the board barely audible, as if it were empty.


    Suddenly, the candle began to flicker violently.


    Xu Shuo, who was ying with the marbles, paused and looked sideways at the candle.


    The shadows cast on the wall began to writhe chaotically, as countless dark tendrils iled wildly from the bed, like a shadow y filled with bizarre and eerie images¡ªa giant mouth full of sharp fangs seemed to snap open at his shadow on the wall, ready to bite down ferociously at any moment!


    The creature crouched on all fours, arching its body like a beast coiled and ready to pounce, its green skin slowly being overtaken by ck, before morphing into an indescribable monster, leaving only its crimson eyes clear and distinct.


    Without emitting a single roar, strange gurgling noises came from what looked like tumorous organs on its body.


    With a whoosh¡ª


    Suddenly, it sprung forward with a leap!


    The petite dark form knocked over the table with the checkers, and in the blink of an eye, it had Xu Shuo pinned to the ground, its stomach-mouth exuding a foul stench.

 Chapter 126: Chapter 122 Monster

    The monster''s crimson eyes stared intently at him, the putrid smell was inches away, fangs dripping with viscous liquid, spreading a nauseating and oppressive aura.


    However, the next moment, it suddenly looked up towards the door, and in a sh, it mmed through the door and streaked out.


    Xu Shuo reacted quickly and scrambled to his feet, but only saw the monster''s shadow disappearing rapidly at the entrance of the ancestral hall.


    Fuck! At least give him a chance!


    The monster moved incredibly fast, and by the time Xu Shuo got outside, the quiet vige square was devoid of any figures, and no traces were left on the ground.


    Xu Shuo remembered something and turned to run towards Old Zhang''s house.


    But as soon as he got to Old Zhang''s doorstep, an extremely piercing scream sounded from somewhere else!


    That creature didn''t make a sound when it seized people, like Elder Huangst night, dead without a whisper, leaving such arge pool of blood in the house without a sound leaking out.


    Xu Shuo paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards that direction but unexpectedly bumped into the sneaky female reporter.


    The two exchanged a nce and tacitly remained silent, looking towards the direction from which the scream hade.


    From there, a familiar "gurgling" sound could be faintly heard, followed by a panic-stricken figure crawling and scrambling out from a nearby corner.


    The person was covered in filthy blood, falling with every step, not due to injury, but purely from jelly legs.


    It was an ordinary viger, Old Li.


    At that moment, seeing the two figures standing nearby, Old Li immediately threw himself towards them, and upon recognizing Xu Shuo, he became even more overjoyed.


    "Chief! Chief! There''s a monster!" Old Li clung to Xu Shuo, crying out in sorrow.


    "What monster?" Xu Shuo feigned confusion.


    At this moment, Old Li was filled with panic,pletely unaware of why the vige chief was out sote at night, pointed behind him, tremblingly saying, "I... I don''t know, it''s a monster with many mouths, it tore Old Zhang apart and devoured him! It was terrifying!"


    Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes, "Old Zhang was at your ce?"


    "Yes, yes! I was startled awake, then I saw that monster jump in through the window and ripped Old Zhang in half!" Old Li trembled with every question answered.


    "And then you ran out?"


    "Yes, yes, Chief, you should go take a look... no, call the police! Those officers haven''t left yet today!"


    Old Li was already babbling incoherently, the vige chief''s presence had given him a bit of security, but only a smidge caused by seeing someone familiar, and upon remembering the police, he dashed past Xu Shuo hastily heading outside.


    Xu Shuo paid him no heed, withdrew his gaze, and stepped towards where the monster was.


    The female reporter hesitated but still cautiously followed behind, the "gurgling" sound grating on her ears.


    As she leaned against the wall of a house, peering through the pitch-ck window, she suddenly realized something ¨C with such a loud scream just now, howe nobody else in the vige reacted?


    ...


    Xu Shuo arrived at the doorstep of Old Li''s house and gently pushed the door open, stepping inside to be greeted by a strong smell of blood.


    In the bedroom, the monster leaned against the wall, its tumor-like organs pulsing with each breath, the mouth on its belly chewing on chunks of flesh, while the floor was bare except for arge pool of blood.


    However, there was a cleaver lying askew on the disheveled bed.


    Xu Shuo looked around the bedroom, his mind reenacting the events that had just transpired.


    Old Zhang hadn''t stayed in his own house but had sneaked into Old Li''s house in the middle of the night, probably nning to kill Old Li like Elder Huang the night before and then pin it on "Green-Faced Fangs."


    Given the acting vige chief''s character, the vige''s internal matters would certainly be hushed up, and he wouldn''t have to pay with his life, but he hadn''t expected the monster to act at the same time.


    Now he didn''t need to frame anyone, because it was indeed "Green-Faced Fangs" at work, only the victim had changed.


    The monster curled up in the corner, oblivious to the person who walked in, and focused on chewing its food.


    Xu Shuo picked up the kitchen knife that had fallen on the bed, then hurled it directly at the monster.


    Plop~


    The knife hit the monster with a soft, squelchy sound, and the trembling monster stilled, the "gurgle gurgle" noises stopping altogether.


    ...


    "Bang!"


    The door mmed against the wall with a tremendous noise, startling the female reporter who was stealthily inching toward Old Li''s house along the wall.


    She instinctively stayed pressed against the wall, motionless, and in a sh, she saw a figure tumble out of the door. It was the vige chief who had just gone in, and without looking back, he bolted away into the distance.


    The next moment, another pitch-ck shadow chased out swiftly, bringing a gust of foul, rank wind!


    Female reporter: "..."


    She remained still against the wall, the brick already in her hand, and watched as one person and one monster left one after the other without paying any attention to her.


    Luckily, they ignored her.


    However, the reporter then quickly remembered that this time the monster didn''t drag anyone away to eat elsewhere but stayed right there. If it didn''t catch the vige chief, it mighte back.


    And then she would be alone here.


    Therefore, the female reporter also turned and ran, not daring to follow right behind. She chose to take a longer detour.


    ...


    The vige path was dark and silent, the moon in the cloudy sky casting a hazy glow.


    After running a few steps, Xu Shuo saw six figures ahead. Old Li, who had run out before, hung back far behind, not daring toe any closer.


    "Comrade, hurry and attack the monster!"


    Xu Shuo waved his hands frantically and yelled, then in the next moment he swiftly dodged to the side. The monster behind him missed its pounce and, maintaining its forward momentum, tumbled across the ground several times.


    The four policemen who ran over and saw the dark mass were initially puzzled, but the artist who had been following behind them was already terrified and turned to run.


    She simply couldn''t refrain froming outside but had been spotted by the police in the square, so she ended up following behind them.


    The girl ran behind a house and, gripping the wall, cautiously peered out.


    The four policemen were seeing such a thing for the first time, a body covered in tumor-like organs, limbs haphazardly attached, mouths split open in various parts of the body, and sharp fangs on the stomach mixed with chunks of flesh.


    More importantly, the sight of this monster elicited an uncontroble sense of fear and nausea in them!


    "Ugh..." someone couldn''t help but vomit.


    "What the hell is this thing?!"


    "It''s moving, it''s moving!"


    "Quick, quick, get your weapons!"


    The others, regaining theirposure, frantically took out their batons, and the one who was retching could no longer mind the feeling of disgust.


    Meanwhile, the leading officer had already raised his pistol, uncontroble fear making his hands tremble, and then he pulled the trigger without hesitation at the throbbing mass of monster!


    "Bang!"


    The loud gunshot shattered the tranquility of the night, like a spark exploding in the Dark Abyss.

 Chapter 127: Chapter 123: The Degeneration of Faith

    ```


    Swish¡ª¡ªThe ck liquid from the monster''s body spilled onto the ground, viscous like oil, emitting an unpleasant fishy stench.


    The monster, which had still been staring at Xu Shuo, suddenly turned its blood-red eyes towards them after being attacked.


    Those eyescked any semnce of emotion, but they made them feel a tremendous evil intent!


    Desire, greed, destruction, and hatred, countless negative energies flooded into their minds from those eyes, frantically upying their thoughts, and the feelings of nausea and fear grew stronger and stronger.


    "Run! Get out!"


    Suddenly, a loud shout came, and the several police officers, as if waking from a dream, turned and ran upon seeing the distorted, gruesome monster.


    The monster''s several limbs touched the ground and it bounced toward them with a leap,nding silently on the ground!


    Old Li had already run out like mad when he realized the police couldn''t handle the creature. The four people pumped their legs with all their might, but a young police officer at the back suddenly stumbled and fell.


    Turning his head, he saw his ankle was caught by a ck tentacle; the monster''s blood-red eyes were now filled with a bloodthirsty intent.


    "Save... Save me!"


    The leading officer, upon seeing this, shot several rounds at the tentacle while running back, then grabbed the young policeman by the cor and dragged him out, with thetter kicking frantically.


    The tentacle wrapped around his ankle suddenly trembled and quickly retracted.


    The monster, crouching, with its stomach mouth dripping flesh and blood, stood with several limbs on the ground, its fleshy tumor-like organs pulsating, and its blood-red eyes fixed on them menacingly.


    But it didn''t pursue them any further.


    The young man, trembling, sat on the edge of the vige square, gazing at the twisted monster in the dwelling, feeling a strong surge of nausea.


    The female reporter who hade around, watching this scene, felt a sense of realization.


    Indeed, the monster had its own domain rules when hunting for prey.


    It was she who had shouted at them. The police officer had fallen right on the border line between the vige square and the dwelling¡ªif he had been any slower, the monster might have dragged him back.


    The female reporter stepped forward, intending to greet them, only to suddenly see the young man covering his throat in difort.


    At the same time, the upper body of the ck monster also stirred, like... an animal ruminating.


    She halted suddenly, her expression strange.


    "Ugh!"


    Right after that, the young police officer, unable to bear the nausea, vomited something out. The debris, mixed with flesh and blood, spilled on the ground, spreading its foul smell.


    He trembled, his face contorting from the nausea that surged up his throat, making him vomit out another mass of flesh containing organs.


    The others, pale-faced, watched him; the officer hesitated before rushing to pat him on the back.


    "Hey, what''s wrong with you?!"


    "I... Ugh!"


    Chunks of flesh, including bits of nail and bone, were vomited out, sshing the officer in front of him. Tears of distress streamed down the young man''s face as he felt as if his stomach woulde out, yet he couldn''t suppress the nausea and even reached into his throat to scoop out more.


    Seeing the young man''s behavior bing more and more bizarre, the officer steeled himself, and with the butt of his gun, he struck the back of the young man''s neck with force!


    Thump!


    Thetter''s eyes rolled back as he copsed to the ground, but in the next moment, he propped himself up again and continued to vomit in distress.


    Even a beating couldn''t knock him out!


    "Give up. A person contaminated by that monster can''t be saved by ordinary means. This is beyond our understanding," the female reporter said softly, her face showing sympathy as she looked at him.


    "What the hell is this thing?!"


    The officer, with a ghastly expression, turned his gaze back to the eerie monster but, after only half a second of watching, he couldn''t help feeling fear and disgust, and he dared not look any longer.


    The young man''s convulsions intensified towards the end, and then hey motionless on the ground, surrounded by chunks of flesh and blood, an extreme fishy stench in the air.


    Two more people had died tonight, though if nothing unexpected had happened, only one person from the vige would have died.


    The female reporter withdrew her gaze from the policeman and looked nervously at the monster.


    It stopped its rumination, and tumor-like organs on its body pulsated spontaneously, making "gurgling" sounds. Then it looked around, apparently not finding anything, and soon its body began to copse and melt away.


    A thick, foul-smelling liquid was left on the ground, slowly seeping into the soil and permeating through the cracks in the walls.


    The few onlookers were horrified by the disappearance of the monster, feeling chills down their spines as ity hidden in the vige, its flesh and blood seemingly sttered everywhere.


    The vige at night became silent once again. Despite there being many people in the square, the quietness was eerily terrifying.


    After a while, a dry heave from the corner of the dwelling broke the silence; the monster was gone, and the painter couldn''t hold back the nausea anymore.


    The remaining three officers looked at her in terror, thinking she was going to be sick to death like the young man. The reporter knew the worst had passed, so she wasn''t as nervous.


    After a few dry heaves, the young woman apologized, waving her hand, "I''m sorry, I couldn''t help it..."


    Her willpower had always been a bit weak; otherwise, she wouldn''t have nearly been contaminated while recalling the monster in her mindter on.


    This time when she went out, she had specifically brought her sketchpad, but now when she looked at the paper, everything was just chaotic lines.


    The girl tried to recall a little, but the difort and pain in her mind stopped her from thinking any further.


    ```


    This thing simply cannot be captured in a painting¡­


    But there must be a way toplete this task.


    At this moment, Xu Shuo emerged from the darkness, looking frightened, and said to the group, "Comrades, look, I told you there is a monster in our vige! Howe you can''t deal with it now, what are we going to do?"


    The female reporter had a strange expression on her face: "¡­"


    His worried appearance was incredibly realistic.


    The officer fell into silence, and the forensic expert, with a heart full of apprehension, went forward to examine the fallenrade, eventually saying with aplex expression, "It was asphyxiation."


    A death very simr to that of the detective.


    But they couldn''t possibly report this mystical stuff, just as the Acting Vige Chief had said they didn''t believe, no more would their superiors believe it.


    "The creature here¡­ is it the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' that the vigers speak of?" Officer Zhang asked gravely.


    "That''s probably it," Xu Shuo nodded hesitantly.


    "But it doesn''t look anything like the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' depicted," Officer Zhang implied, looking toward the direction of the fields.


    "Whatever people imagine it to be, that''s what it will grow into," Xu Shuo said, with even more profound implications: "In everyone''s heart, the ''Green-Faced Fangs'' has a different image. Like in my heart, it might just be a little girl."


    And with the convergence of countless people''s thoughts, it bes an indescribable monster.


    At that point, the female reporter sighed and said, "Thousands of years ago, it was the ''deity'' that protected the region; thousands of yearster, it has be the ''monster'' bringing cmity to the people."


    "Why would this monster attack your vige now?" Officer Zhang grabbed the crux of the discussion, and abruptly knitting his brows, he stared intently at Xu Shuo and asked, "Has anyone else died in your vige these days?"


    Given the trend, it couldn''t just be outsiders who had died!


    Xu Shuo stroked his chin and said, "I think, what happened before is not important anymore. In the end, everyone might die."


    Because every person in the vige has their own selfish desires, and the malice they exude influences the ''Green-Faced Fangs'''' thoughts. Their existence is the monster''s sustenance.


    And the Acting Vige Chief was actually the beginning of it all.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    The action tonight had exhausted the several policemen both physically and mentally. In the end, they apprehended Old Li, who had escaped, for interrogation; they needed to thoroughly understand everything inside and outside this vige.


    Otherwise, if there truly was a catastrophe that led to the vige''s demise, it would certainly cause a sensation. What''s scarier is, what if the monster got out?


    As for the Acting Vige Chief, that asionally odd man, they did not dare put full trust in him.


    ¡ªHow on earth should this story be unraveled?


    The maiden followed Xu Shuo in a daze, thinking they were going back, only to realize after turning a corner that they were at the ancestral hall.


    After all, it was a ce of worship, and the pitch-ck interior of the ancestral hall felt quite eerie.


    Xu Shuo pushed the door open and saw the little girl carefully picking up marbles from the floor, not making a sound.


    The door suddenly swung open, and she startled, then quickly exined, "I''m sorry, Uncle Dai, I''m not avoiding sleep, it''s just that these things fell down¡­"


    This small room had just been ravaged by the monster; tables and chairs were overturned, let alone a game of marbles.


    Xu Shuo walked over and pinched her soft cheek, smiling, "It''s okay."


    Then, he suddenly took out a purple bag, which seemed quite ordinary at first, but swung it over the little girl''s head, the huge enveloping the five or six-year-old girlpletely.


    "Caught you," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    "Eh?" The little girl tilting her head cutely, her face rife with innocence and confusion.


    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Capture the Green-Faced Fangs.]


    Chapter Find:


    The little girl, covered by the, stood obediently, without a hint of evasive action, quitepliant, even thinking that Xu Shuo was ying with her.


    She reached out her little hand to grasp the edge of the, her eyes gleaming as she eximed, "Oh no, Uncle Dai caught me!"


    Xu Shuo: HP-99!


    At this moment, Xu Shuo inexplicably shared Officer Zhang''s sentiment: How could such a cute little girl be a monster?


    But in truth, she had no sense of good or evil, nor her own thoughts; she was born from people''s beliefs and mutated because of the degeneration of those beliefs.


    If people thought she was timid, weak, and hungry due to their inherent views of orphans, then that''s what she became.


    If people''s impression of a monster was ferocious and terrifying, a man-eater, then that''s what she became as well.


    Whatever people hoped she would be, that''s what she would be.


    Xu Shuo picked up the little girl, squeezing her soft, plump cheeks, and felt the touch be even more pleasant.


    ¡ªThe Acting Vige Chief wanted to make the vige prosper and sought fame through spreading bizarre legends to draw the longing of travelers, but it also awakened the dormant monster.


    It also induced the vigers'' concealed desires.


    The Acting Vige Chief had the best attitude towards the ''Green-Faced Fangs,'' harboring neither malice nor benevolence, only looking to make money from it.


    Xu Shuo found this idea appealing because he too was rather fond of making money.

 Chapter 128: Chapter 124 Expiate Your Sins

    At dawn, another piercing scream shattered the silence.


    The girl, with severe dark circles under her eyes, ignored the noise rising in the vige and painted on the white wall with utmost seriousness.


    She had been painting from night till sunrise, her hand steady, not the slightest bit tired, and as the painting nearedpletion, her mood became quite excited and her mind was clear.


    The pitch-ck paint was sshed onto the wall by her, gradually tinging the white wall into an abyss, then, amidst the darkness, brilliant colors outlined lines, slowly forming a painting.


    It depicted an adorable child with messy double buns, wearing tattered clothes, but with eyes that were clear and bright.


    Behind the little girl in that dark abyss, monsters with bared fangs and ws dwelt amidst ck and red intertwining distortions, the scene like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, exceptionally terrifying!


    The painter felt her thoughts had be uncontroble, like a fervent artist who took the brush in hand as a weapon, treating the nk wall before her as a battlefield!


    Her brain, operating at high speed all night, was still clear as ever, the girl excitedly adding dabs of color, finishing the painting with a beautiful flourish of ink!


    [Congrattions onpleting the task: Paint the true face of the "Green-Faced Fangs".]


    It really was so!


    The vige chief had brought out that butterflyst night, aiming it at the twisted ck monster, and tonight, he did the same to the little girl!


    Recollecting what the vige chief had asked her to paint during the day...


    In that moment, the girl who had witnessed the scene at the entrance of the shrine felt as if she had been enlightened, and she was so shocked and excited that she almost lost her mind!


    She had rushed back to the vige chief''s house and retrieved all her paints; she was not very good at painting, but now she felt an endless stream of inspiration, her hands and mind uncontroblypleting this twisted painting!


    This was the "true face of the Green-Faced Fangs"!


    How absurd, from the paintings at the entrance of the vige, depicted bit by bit, born from the vigers'' prayers, this monster that murdered and arsoned without guilt, seen as a cmity¡ªyet when its true face was revealed, it was nothing but an innocent, naive child.


    Gasping for breath, the girl looked at this final painting, blinked slightly, and suddenly realized that it was daylight, that it was already the next day.


    Then, another notification sounded in her mind:


    [Congrattions, yers, forpleting more than 50% of the main mission. This theater will end in one hour, please prepare ordingly.]


    ... Chapter Read:


    ...


    Xu Shuo sat in the shrine ying with the little girl, and upon hearing this system notification, he merely nced sideways before turning back to the policemen in front of him.


    "I don''t mind doing that, but..." Xu Shuo pondered and said, "You''re not nning to arrest everyone in the vige, are you?"


    "What...?" The officer was taken aback, his eyes widening at him.


    "Could it be that every single person in your vige is guilty?!" another eximed in astonishment.


    The police had learned the full story from Old Li and the female reporter the previous night. If the monster had appeared because of the vigers, then they might as well hold a mobilization meeting and clearly state the truth!


    However, even if the truth was told, the monster would still silently consume the vigers at night without anyone noticing.


    The reason Old Li woke upst night was purely because the sense of crisis Old Zhang had brought him when attacking had subconsciously awakened him.


    As a result, the first thing he saw upon waking was the monster brutally tearing a person apart, scaring him to the point where his soul was still not at rest.


    Thus, the other idea the officers had was to arrest those in the vige who were spreading rumors andmitting crimes, hoping that at least it would purify the vige a bit.


    The words of the vige chief left them speechless at this point.


    Counting on his fingers, Xu Shuo said, "Actually, I guess the reason Old Zhang wanted to kill Old List night was not only because he stole his family''s heirloom but probably also because he slept with his wife... and in fact, Old Zhang''s wife also has an affair with the neighbor, Old Wang. Old Wang used to be a hooligan in his youth, often throwing his weight around in the vige; I bet there are also quite a few people now who wish him dead. Besides, Cuihua at the entrance of the vige was with that neighbor..."


    "Stop, stop, stop!" the officer interrupted him with a dark face, sighed deeply in frustration, and said, "How about you just revere that ''Green-Faced Fangs'' as a deity again?"


    "Sacrifice to the mountain god, repair the temple, bear the incense offerings, and may it absolve your vige of its sins."


    Xu Shuo smiled amply, "Actually, I was thinking the same thing."


    Officials were, after all, not too fond of these acts of seeking gods and worshipping buddhas, but they didn''t have a solution for the issue either. The monsterst night had killed one of theirpanions right before their eyes using mysterious methods.


    Nobody would believe such a thing if it were told.


    Xu Shuo continued, "So this matter..."


    The police officer helplessly waved his hand, "I know, it''s all idents, the detective as well."


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuoughed again.


    ...


    The entrance to Old Li''s house was inplete disarray, the door smashed to bits. Someone went in to investigate and discovered a scene simr to what had happened at Elder Huang''s house the night before.


    People in the vige had died two days in a row, both times leaving no trace of their bodies, causing enough panic already.


    Unexpectedly, the deceased was not Old Li this time. Early in the morning, Elder Zhang''s wife was shouting that her husband had disappeared, until Old Li returned from the vige chief''s house, and the truth came out.


    So the new question arose, why on earth was Elder Zhang at Old Li''s house in the middle of the night?


    Now there was plenty to specte about.


    People are only concerned with their own affairs; if it doesn''t happen to them, they won''t take it to heart. Vigers watched with a mix of fear and schadenfreude.


    The three policemen who had just finished talking to Xu Shuo saw this and all wore dark expressions. A realization suddenly dawned on them. Could this vige that nurtured a twisted monster like "Green-Faced Fangs" still be saved?


    Although they appeared harmonious and friendly on the outside, they were probably already corrupt through and through.


    Even their surface respect for the Acting Vige Chief and hismands was merely because they benefited from it.


    ...


    ...


    What happened?


    Only one hour left until the game is over?


    The female journalist, after being stunned for a moment, quickly reacted and remembered that she hadn''t seen the painter returnst night. She immediately packed her things and rushed to the mural at the vige entrance.


    The girl leaned against the wall, appearing very ufortable, dry heaving.


    "What''s wrong with you?" The approaching female journalist was taken aback, hesitating toe closer, but given that it concerned her mission, she still needed to ask clearly.


    "I feel like some ghostly thing is forcefully cramming into my brain," the girl said, crouching on the ground, covering her mouth in difort, her voice muffled.


    After she finished painting, she felt something was wrong with herself. The feeling of nausea in her mind became unbearable, like a person about to drown, feeling both suppressed and suffocated, her entire body was in extreme difort!


    She feared that she had painted something dreadful!


    The girl trembled with fear, but upon realizing that she hadn''t thrown up anything, just pure dry heaving of stomach acid, she decided to grit her teeth and endure for one more hour.


    However, upon seeing the female journalist who hade to find her, her eyes suddenly brightened.


    "I''ve finished painting ''Green-Faced Fangs,''" the girl said shakily, extending a hand to point at the painting above, and looked at her hopefully.


    "Green-Faced Fangs?" The female journalist looked up, then froze, "Is that her?!"


    ...

 Chapter 129: Chapter 125: One-Click Kill!

    Xu Shuo led the little girl by the hand, walking through the woods.


    While one hand was held, the other yed idly with the passing leaves and branches, and from time to time, she stealthily picked a wild fruit and popped it into her mouth with lightning speed.


    She seemed to taste nothing, chewing calmly before swallowing, then sneakily nced at Xu Shuo''s expression.


    After passing through the orchard, the dense underbrush and thorns in the forest increased on the undeveloped hillside, and Xu Shuo picked up the little girl again.


    "Uncle Dai, where are we going?" the little girl asked softly and tenderly.


    "Do you like this mountain?" Xu Shuo, without answering, squeezed her smooth and delicate cheek and asked back.


    "I do!" The little girl nodded earnestly, with no other emotion in her eyes.


    "Then do you like this vige?"


    "I do!"


    "Do you like everyone in the vige?"


    "I do!"


    If you wanted her to like something, she would.


    Xu Shuo smiled but said nothing more, carrying the little girl to the familiar low hillside, pushing aside the shrubs that blocked the cave entrance.


    Behind the cramped and narrow passagey a small, dim, smelly cave.


    The little girl, set down by him, was not afraid at all and ran into the cave joyfully as if ying.


    A candle burned inside the cave, where the Old Vige Chief was eating a white flour cake. Suddenly seeing a lively little girl run in, he was dumbfounded for a long while.


    Shortly after, Xu Shuo followed in.


    "Who is this little girl?" the Old Vige Chief asked in confusion. He remembered something and burst into a rage, "You unfilial son! Surely you wouldn''t stoop to involving such a young child!"


    The little girl was startled by his shout and quickly ran back to hide behind Xu Shuo, timidly grabbing onto his trouser leg.


    "Her name is Qing; don''t scare her," Xu Shuo said while reassuringly patting the little girl''s head.


    It was no surprise to Xu Shuo that the Old Vige Chief did not recognize this orphan living in the ancestral hall since the little girl only truly appeared five months ago.


    Yet, in everyone''s perception, this girl had been living in the ancestral hall for several years, an orphan without parents, supported by the charity of the vigers.


    And the Old Vige Chief was the one who had left the vige at that time, the only outsider in this affair.


    Xu Shuo stepped forward, unlocked the shackles from the Old Vige Chief''s hands and said, "The matter over there is settled; you can return to the vige now."


    After saying this, he nced at his yer''s Handbook, his face expressionless.


    The Old Vige Chief was still somewhat puzzled. He looked from the well-behaved, adorable little girl to his son, who now seemed like a stranger, and finally at the shackles representing his freedom.


    The next moment, the Old Vige Chief grabbed the hot water kettle and threw it at Xu Shuo, "You unfilial son! I won''t let you off!"


    Bam!


    The water kettle hit the head with a dull thud. Xu Shuo did not dodge; he just frowned at the emptiness.


    The little girl beside him was stunned by what she saw and then, filled with anger, raised her little fists to hit the Old Vige Chief while anxiously shouting, "Bad guy! You''re bullying Uncle Dai!"


    "No... I didn''t..." Seeing that he did not dodge, the Old Vige Chief was stunned too, then he became flustered, "It was clearly him who trapped me here, yet how has it ended with me bullying him? Besides, I am his father; what''s wrong with disciplining him a bit..."


    "Bad guy, bad guy!" The little girl was relentless, waving her fists, her round eyes starting to redden.


    "You little child don''t understand..."


    "Bad guy!"


    "..."


    Xu Shuo had been ignoring the drama next to him, focusing only on the progress bar, which hadn''t made any headway at all, and sank into deep thought.


    Why was there still no change?


    The reports to publicize the vige had been sent by the journalist, the mural waspleted, the monster issue was almost resolved, and the Old Vige Chief had been released... So why was there no progress with the Character Card?


    [Congrattions to the yers forpleting all main storyline tasks. The performance will end in one minute. Please prepare yourselves.]


    Suddenly, the system voice rang out again, and Xu Shuo''s facial expression darkened, his gaze sharpened slightly.


    Had he miscalcted something?


    If he thought back through the script''s storyline, starting with the incident of the Old Vige Chief''s disappearance as a catalyst, the female journalist, the detective, the painter took their ces, and the first night, Elder Huang died...


    Wait, no!


    In thesest few seconds, Xu Shuo''s brain spun furiously. He remembered a character that had left the stage too early¡ª


    What was the Trench Coat Detective''s mission?


    He said he came to the vige to investigate, following themission from the Old Vige Chief; hence, his task must have been rted to the missing Old Vige Chief.


    The Old Vige Chief could not possibly be an irrelevant character sidelined until the end!


    And before that, before Xu Shuo obtained the Character Card, he had no idea that the Old Vige Chief was still imprisoned on the mountain.


    If¡­ he hadn''t received the memory of the Character Card, then the Old Vige Chief would have starved to death in these days.


    Xu Shuo suddenly had an epiphany!


    He had joined the game in the afternoon, and the food prepared for the Old Vige Chief had long been consumed. How could the Acting Vige Chief forget about this? He hadn''t sent food the day before, nor had he sent any that morning, starving the old man for a whole day and night!


    He was clearly waiting for the Old Vige Chief to starve to death!


    Xu Shuo could acquire the memories of the character, but not the thoughts. After understanding the situation, he subconsciously continued the character''s previous actions and brought food.


    But the Acting Vige Chief wanted the old man dead, for with his death, he would be able to fully control the vige.


    "Forget it. I won''t quibble with you, a little child. I need to hurry back to the vige now¡ªthis rebellious son has who knows what sort of mess he''s made of the vige!"


    After finishing his thoughts, the noise beside him grew clearer, and the mor of the two people entered his ears.


    Xu Shuo instantaneously flipped open the yer''s Handbook and clicked on a card.


    The next moment, his temperament underwent a sudden change. Shedding the rustic simplicity of the rural man, he donned a blood-stained whiteb coat.


    The tall young man slowly curved his lips into a corner, his face lit with a fierce and twisted, mad smile. The fruit knife he held in reverse grip suddenly shed with a cold light!


    Hiss¡ª!


    The Old Vige Chief hadn''t reacted yet when suddenly his eyes bulged and he fell over stiffly.


    At that same moment, the young girl beside him, furious to the extreme, opened her mouth wide. Her fair skin darkened to a bluish hue, revealing Green-Faced Fangs. Her petite body warped and erged, and with a gaping maw, she swallowed the Old Vige Chief who had died instantly!


    The monster chewed discontentedly on the content of its mouth, then quickly turned to the side, its blood-red eyes filled with expectancy, as if seeking praise.


    However, it was abruptly startled to a halt. The young man before it was dissipating into white specks.


    It lunged forward swiftly, only to pounce on nothing.


    In the dark, foul-smelling cave, only the monster with Green-Faced Fangs remained, tilting its head in confusion.


    After a long while, the young girl''s figure reappeared. She stood alone in the cave, her cute and obedient face filled with innocence and confusion.


    "Huh?"


    ¡­


    [This performance of "Green-Faced Fangs" has concluded.]

 Chapter 130: Chapter 126 I really want to have another hotpot

    [The session of "Green-Faced Fangs" has concluded and will now enter the script settlement interface]


    [Mission One: Capture Green-Faced Fangs. Completed.]


    [Mission Two: Sketch the true visage of Green-Faced Fangs. Completed.]


    [Mission Three: Unveil the mystery of Green-Faced Fangs. Completed.]


    [Mission Four: Find the missing Old Vige Chief. Failed.]


    The rewards this time were a bit scant, with only about a thousand in performance points, other than the Character Card, the only thing left was the unchanging "Psychic Power Boost of 10 points" prop card.


    It seems, the lower the stage of the script, the fewer the performance points and rewards, with no special skills either.


    So, after deducting the money spent on the Dreamcatcher, round it up and it''s like he didn''t earn a dime and even took a loss in this game!


    Having browsed through the script information, Xu Shuo finally opened the yer''s Handbook and eyed the "in production" sign next to the "Green-Faced Fangs" entry, feeling unusually anxious.


    It shouldn''t copse this time, right?


    He had already checked, the Acting Vige Chief was indeed a mission character; this time he fortunately didn''t end up in the wrong body!


    The detective''s mission was to[find the missing Old Vige Chief], and upon his death, this mission was automatically eliminated from the game''s main storyline, so after Xu Shuo and the painterpleted their tasks, the game countdown began.


    Neither the main storyline missions nor the game characters had any issues this time.


    If he suffered another script copse and added to the dubious level on his personal information, it would likely draw the attention of other interested parties.


    Xu Shuo wasn''t too fond of trouble, especially trouble unrted to his real life.


    Remembering that low-stage script production wouldn''t take long, he decided to stay in the Script Space and wait, at least until he saw the trouble was gone before he could rx.


    But after a while, before the script waspleted, he received another visit request from Hong Rao.


    Is this woman really that idle?


    Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow; he had work in the afternoon, and if he got too immersed in chatting, he might lose track of time, so he directly declined.


    Message me if it''s important, otherwise, don''t disturb.


    ...


    On the other side, Hong Rao, who was rejected: ???


    Why though?!


    All she wanted was to maintain regrmunication with her newly epted student and ensure a stable rtionship. It''s been so long since she found a yer willing to be her disciple without fearing death, and she had already decided to seriously take on the role!


    Hong Rao nestled in herfy sofa, staring at the rejection panel, feeling somewhat downcast.


    It was her student''s first time ying the script she picked out, and she wondered, did he enjoy it? Was he satisfied? Would he possibly rebel and leave the teaching mid-way?


    Indeed, a student could forcibly dissolve the master-apprentice rtionship by simply paying a price.


    The more Hong Rao thought about it, the more distressed she became, seeing at a nce that this new student had good abilities but also wasn''t easy to control.


    Just then, the "in production" indicator disappeared from the yers'' script list, and "Green-Faced Fangs" was open for viewing, which Hong Rao couldn''t wait to check out.


    She wanted to see if the new student had fun ying it indeed!


    ...


    Once Xu Shuo saw that the script was sessfully open for viewing, hepletely rxed.


    Sure enough, as long as he followed the standard procedure for new yers, there wouldn''t be a copse; the second script he received was just bloody unusual!


    And that led to the subsequent scripts being unusual too!


    Thankfully, not many people were paying attention to him.


    Leaving the Script Space, Xu Shuo opened his eyes in his office, immediately feeling a bit of a sore neck.


    Sleeping on the desk was never the right posture; Xu Shuo rubbed his neck and turned on the screen in front of him to check the time.


    About forty-odd minutes had passed, which was generally enough for a half-hour nap, but in reality, he felt no rest whatsoever!


    He had slept, or so it seemed.


    Xu Shuo propped up his forehead and rested for a while, theny back on his seat to stretch his neck, but in the next moment, he suddenly sat up energetically and started working seriously.


    Outside the office, Pei Sheng watched someone''s neurotic behavior and silently stuffed a spicy strip into his mouth.


    Then he walked in, offered a spicy strip, and asked, "Boss, want something to eat to perk you up?"


    "No thanks," Xu Shuo nced casually.


    "I knew you wouldn''t want it, so I was just asking for the sake of it. I wouldn''t really give it to you," Pei Sheng said, not at all surprised as he took back the spicy strip, grinning.


    "..."


    Xu Shuo felt this guy really deserved a beating, full and bored with nothing better to do; no wonder he used to get cornered and beaten up by a bunch of people in the alleys. He truly wasn''t innocent.


    Without wanting to entertain him further, he changed the subject and asked, "Have you bought your train ticket yet?"


    Pei Sheng didn''t speak, instead, he looked outside at Li Ziwen, who nodded at him, and only then did he confidently answer, "Bought it!"


    Xu Shuo, having sessfully diverted the topic, no longer inquired and concentrated on preparing the work materials needed for the next few days.


    During this time, he sent a message to Xu Xi.


    [I''m going to Pengcheng on a business trip tomorrow, will be away for about three days, if anythinges up, you cane to the studio to find Ziwen.]


    The reply came quickly from the other side: [Got it.]


    A momentter, another message followed: [Take care on the road.]


    Although the two of them barely met even when in the same city except during holidays, he still had to inform her about his trip and then continued to immerse himself in his work.


    The day wore on and the sky gradually darkened.


    The buildings started to light up with neon signs as each day in Yangcheng and every person there lived their mundane lives as corporate ves.


    Xu Shuo packed the printed documents into his briefcase, stood up, stretched, and turned to Pei Sheng beside him, "Alright, go to bed early tonight, we''ll leave early tomorrow."


    Pei Sheng saluted solemnly, "Roger that!"


    ...


    ...


    The next morning.


    A spirited Xu Shuo and Pei Sheng met up at Yangcheng South Station, checked their tickets and entered the boarding area uneventfully, and took their seats on the high-speed train to Pengcheng.


    An hour''s journey by train, Pei Sheng, unable to sit still, immediately started ying a game to pass the time.


    The two sat in separate ces, not together. Xu Shuo settled his luggage and nced at the passenger sitting next to him.


    It was a double seat, with his own spot on the inside by the window. The other passenger had boarded before him and had slumped into his seat immediately, a heavy scent of smoke emanating from him.


    Fortunately, there was ample space between the seats, and he could easily squeeze through by turning sideways.


    As Xu Shuo passed by, he heard the other person muttering under his breath, "I really want a smoke..."


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    This person''s patience might beparable to Pei Sheng''s, one wailing about boredom as soon as he boarded the train, while the other contemting stepping out for a smoke as soon as he sat down.


    Meanwhile, passengers continued to board and disembark. The man d in a ck hoodie, half his face covered by the hood, looked sideways at the aisle, seemingly contemting the idea of stepping off the train for a quick smoke.


    A secondter, he acted on his thought but just as he reached the door, he saw the conductoring to close it.


    So, he reluctantly returned to his seat.


    Before long, the train began to move with a gentle shake, and the tform outside receded into the distance.


    Xu Shuo, looking straight ahead, remained quiet and detached as he immersed himself in his own world with his phone, but the passenger next to him seemed to have restless leg syndrome and couldn''t sit still for a moment.


    The man in the hoodie, after idly shaking his leg, suddenly turned his gaze to his seatmate.

 Chapter 131: Chapter 127: On the Probability of High-Speed Rail Accidents

    Hoodie Man pulled down his hood and leaned in to ask, "Hey, bro, are you heading to Pengcheng?"


    Upon hearing the voice, Xu Shuo turned his head to give him a nce, nodded, and uttered a faint "Hmm."


    "Then we really are fated, I''m going to Pengcheng too!" Hoodie Man said cheerfully.


    Xu Shuo: "..." You probably share a fate with everyone on this train.


    The young man didn''t look very old, but because of the stubble around his chin that he hadn''t shaved and his messy, curly hair, he appeared somewhat unkempt, making himself look older than he was.


    After a while, Hoodie Man struck up another conversation, "Hey bro, do you know the odds of a high-speed rail ident?"


    Xu Shuo: "..."


    He looked at the scenery flying by outside. Although the speed was faster than that of a train, the stability of the high-speed rail in motion was very high, and passengers could walk down the aisle without swaying.


    Hoodie Man didn''t wait for his response and continued, "Actually, the probability of high-speed rail malfunctions is higher than that of airnes. Although you often hear about ne crashes in the news, that''s all survivorship bias."


    "Justst month," Hoodie Man said seriously as he held up a finger, "there were one hundred and sixty-eight high-speed rail malfunctions, but only one with airnes!"


    "..." Xu Shuo was momentarily at a loss for words.


    ne crashes often make the news because a single incident can kill all the passengers on board, whereas a high-speed rail malfunction might at most cause temporary suspension of service or emergency braking, and at worst, it wouldn''t involve the entire train.


    In short, it''s not a big deal.


    Xu Shuo had already realized that this young man was just bored and wanted to chat with him.


    After he finished rambling about "high-speed rail malfunction probabilities," seeing that Xu Shuo was still holding his phone, he asked again, "Are you ying a game?"


    "Candy Crush."


    "Man, what''s so fun about Candy Crush, why don''t we team up and y?"


    "Someone over there is ying," Xu Shuo gestured toward Pei Sheng''s seat, the implication clear.


    But after Hoodie Man nced at Pei Sheng, who was distorted with frustration from the game, he withdrew his gaze and said after a moment, "Never mind, then."


    The high-speed train continued on its journey. After passing through the cities of steel and concrete, it gradually reached the outskirts, traveling on an elevated track.


    The outside scenery was quite nice. The weather today was very good, with the river''s waters glittering between its banks.


    After a quiet moment, Hoodie Man couldn''t help speaking again, asking with interest, "Bro, do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"


    Xu Shuo gave him a strange look.


    Hoodie Man: "Back in my hometown, it was said that there were water ghosts in the river, and if passersby walked too slowly, they would be dragged down. Look how wide this river is; we haven''t even finished crossing it."


    No sooner had he finished speaking than the high-speed train passed over the bridge and into the mountains.


    "If a stone suddenly fell from this mountain top..."


    After the mountains, the train entered Fields.


    "If it suddenly derailed, this rice field would be ruined!"


    After passing through the countryside, there was a greatke.


    "Wow! Thiske is really big; if..."


    "I think¡ª" Xu Shuo, polite and amiable, interrupted him with a smile, "we''ll definitely arrive at our destination safely."


    Hoodie Man stopped talking, looked somewhat listlessly as he smacked his lips, and reached into his pocket out of habit to grab a cigarette, but then he remembered that smoking wasn''t allowed on high-speed trains.


    It''s too awful, not even a smoking area!


    But in just the time they had been chatting aimlessly, half an hour had already passed. Hoodie Man looked down at the time on his phone, then perked up again.


    This boring time has actually gone by pretty quickly!


    He looked at Xu Shuo again, eagerly searching for a conversation starter, "Bro, what are you heading to Pengcheng for, looking for a job?"


    Xu Shuo, who was swiping through Candy Crush, responded with a nonchnt hum without lifting his head.


    "Hey, stop staring at your phone already, always looking down is bad for your cervical spine¡ªwhat level have you reached?" he asked, peeking over before pausing in shock: "Holy shit! Over four thousand levels, if your data suddenly crashes, wouldn''t that be¡­"


    Xu Shuo''s fingers trembled, and he identally made the wrong move on hisst step, quickly causing the word "Failed" to appear on the screen.


    The culprit beside him chuckled twice.


    Xu Shuo turned off his phone''s screen, turned to look at the Hoodie Man, and his lips curled into a particrly gentle and radiant smile. His clear and bright eyes set off his already handsome and defined face, making him exceptionally dazzling.


    If Pei Sheng had looked over at this moment, he would have remembered, this was the smile their boss used to wear every time before he beat him up.


    The Hoodie Man was momentarily stunned, still not reacting when suddenly the train let out a whistling sound and plunged into a tunnel, plunging the whole carriage into darkness.


    When the carriage sank into darkness, the previously indistinct chatter of other passengers disappeared; suddenly, the world seemed to fall into dead silence.


    After quite a while, the carriage''s wall lights finally turned on and chased away the darkness once again.


    From the neighboring seat, Pei Sheng cursed out of frustration, "Fuck! Why don''t I have a signal?!"


    Following that, the voices of other people gradually returned.


    Xu Shuo dropped the smile from his face and squinted slightly towards the window, but all he could see was dense darkness, with not the slightest glimpse of the tunnel lights.


    The train continued speeding along, the rumbling noise after entering the tunnel.


    At this moment, the Hoodie Man beside him murmured softly, "I''ve taken this train so many times, yet I''ve never gone through a tunnel."


    Xu Shuo turned to look at him, and his pupils constricted slightly, but soon, he adjusted his expression and returned to a calm demeanor.


    Pei Sheng''s voice, full of resentment, continued from the neighboring seat, "I was about to level up and then this shit happens, like it''s rigged against me... Stupid phone, I''m changing you as soon as I get off!"


    "Would you quiet down a bit? You''ve been noisy the whole time ying that game," came the irritated voice of a middle-aged man sitting next to Pei Sheng.


    "Oh..." Pei Sheng clicked his tongue in discontent.


    The carriage faintly buzzed with the voices of the passengers, indistinguishable from before entering the tunnel, but the difference was, Xu Shuo did not see anyone in their seats at this time.


    The carriage had be dpidated and rusty, the floor was covered with stains, smeared with strange dark liquids, and an odd scent seemed toe from somewhere¡ªlike the smell of gunpowder or decay.


    Xu Shuo kept hisposure, even taking out his phone to check the time; Candy Crush still remained on the failed screen.


    After some thought, Xu Shuo carefully exited the Candy Crush screen first.


    He pretended nothing had happened, opened up Tetris, and began clearing levels calmly,pletely ignoring the dark environment and the dpidated carriage.


    Because it seemed that the Hoodie Man sitting beside him had also fallen into this carriage world along with him.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Normal University Affiliated High School.


    In the morning, the senior year students faced theirst monthly exam, and a tense and solemn atmosphere spread throughout the ssroom.


    Xu Xi worked on her paper expressionlessly, her hand holding the pen steady and precise, her elegant small script falling onto the paper; her essay was halfway finished when suddenly, her pen paused.


    The ck pen lingered on that mark, the ink slightly bleeding out. As the pen tip stayed longer, it gradually pierced through the thin exam paper.


    Xu Xi spaced out for quite a while, and when she snapped back to reality, the bell to hand in the papers was already ringing.


    She looked at the unfinished exam paper, put down her pen, and let the proctor collect it before leaving the ssroom and taking out her phone to text.


    [Have you arrived?]


    ¡­

 Chapter 132: Chapter 128 Illusory Realm

    [I''m almost there.]


    Xu Xi quickly received a reply and let out a small sigh of relief.


    At that moment, her dormmates emerged from other ssrooms and gathered around her, and then everyone began the usual post-examints.


    "The essay was too difficult this time. I realized I didn''t have enough time towards the end and had to wrap it up hastily."


    "Sss... that''s better than me. Halfway through, I discovered I was off-topic and had to forcefully shift the focus back."


    The morning exam was in Chinese, and there wasn''t much point inparing answers; the ordinary questions were too easy, while the more challenging readingprehension and essay questions were subjectively graded.


    Xu Xi quietly listened to their discussion, asionally responding, her face expressionless, but inside she was already uneasily anxious.


    Her essay was iplete ¨C when the teacher discovered it, they would definitely want to talk, and then surely report it to her brother...


    It''s over, she was too rash.


    ...


    ...


    On a rickety bullet train.


    Xu Shuo tried sending a message, but his phone showed no signal, and the message remained in "sending" status.


    After entering the tunnel, the thunderous noise continued to fill his ears. The train was like those green-skin trains from decades ago, not only with poor soundproofing but also unstable, asionally shaking violently.


    In the empty carriage, voices still echoed from all around.


    So, after thinking for a moment, Xu Shuo turned to the empty seat next to him and tentatively asked, "Pei Sheng, do you have a power bank?"


    Pei Sheng''snguid voice came through, "I do, but my phone is also dead ¨C don''t you have one yourself?"


    "I''m toozy to get up and dig through my suitcase," Xu Shuo calmly replied, then stretched out a hand towards him, "Alright, hurry up and give it to me. You aren''t ying games anymore, so it shouldn''t drain too fast."


    "No one exploits others quite like you do!"


    Pei Sheng grumbled dissatisfied, but after a moment Xu Shuo felt a weight in his hand, the cold electronic device resting in his palm.


    But in his line of sight, there was nothing there.


    Xu Shuo drew back his hand and ced the power bank on hisp, then without looking away, he followed the cable and urately plugged it into his phone''s charging port.


    Ding-dong~


    The phone screen lit up with the charging icon, and simultaneously, Xu Shuo could see the white power bank lying on hisp.


    Was this an Illusory Realm?


    Xu Shuo squinted slightly, though he was still sitting in the carriage of that bullet train, with passengers all around him ¨C it was just that the things he could see had changed.


    He had wondered before whether his world experienced supernatural events, but no matter what, he had never encountered them himself.


    But ever since entering the Script Space, a series of events that an ordinary person would rarely experience hade one after another. Barely escaping being crushed by a falling corpse was one thing, but this situation seemed to havepletely departed from the material world, hadn''t it?


    Xu Shuo was not quite sure whether it was a supernatural phenomenon urring, or the actions of the person next to him.


    ying Tetris didn''t require an inte connection, Xu Shuo thought about the situation while his hands sped through the levels more quickly.


    Since he had pretended not to see earlier, he would continue to pretend that nothing had happened.


    The Hoodie Man next to him had bepletely silent at some unknown point, his expression serene as he looked towards the end of the carriage, his gaze scrutinizing the ce. He only looked back when Xu Shuo reached out for the power bank.


    His gaze was indecipherable, fixing on Xu Shuo for a good while.


    Xu Shuo turned to him curiously, "What''s up now?"


    The Hoodie Man suddenly asked, "Bro, where are we now?"


    Xu Shuo nced out the pitch-ck window, recalling the time and distance in his head, and tantly lied, "We''re already within Pengcheng''s boundaries, should be nearing the station too."


    "Oh."


    A low reply came from beside him.


    Xu Shuo didn''t look at him and continued to y Tetris on his phone, head down.


    But just then, in addition to the passengers'' chatter, there was a sound of a rough fabric scraping against the floor, apanied by a heavy, weird hum.


    The Hoodie Man suddenly looked up, staring straight at the end of the carriage.


    Xu Shuo''s eyes and eyebrows twitched as he shifted his position to y with his phone, propping his chin with his left hand and casually casting side nces down the aisle.


    "Gulp." The Hoodie Man swallowed, unable to resist reaching into his pocket for a cigarette.


    "You can''t smoke here," Xu Shuo said to him.


    "I''ll just hold it in my mouth without lighting it," the Hoodie Man sighed, pulling out a cigarette and putting it in his mouth.


    In the carriage, the sound of dragging became louder and louder, creating an extremely eerie presence amidst the atmosphere filled with the essence of daily life.


    A hunched figure moved between the seats, a foul and putrid smell growing stronger, making the air feel thick and slow, especially oppressive and suffocating.


    Drip-drop...


    A thick liquid plopped onto the floor, and the shuffling figure gradually came into Xu Shuo''s view.


    The Hoodie Man sat on the outside, with no seats obstructing his view, so he saw it as soon as it appeared, but Xu Shuo, sitting inside, only got a clear view when the entity came closer.


    A long, dark trail of blood followed from the end of the carriage. An old man''s leg was broken, dragging as he moved, his exposed flesh and blood crawling with clusters of ck bugs, his body tattered, clothes so stained with blood that their color was indiscernible, hanging off him.


    The person with his head hung walked over slowly and silently, messy hair glued in clumps to his face, the stench assaulting from him.


    And as he reached Xu Shuo''s seat, the dragging sound suddenly stopped; he stood there hunched over, motionless.


    The corner of the Hoodie Man''s eye twitched a few times, the cigarette in his mouth indented with teeth marks; he stared straight at the seatback in front of him.


    After a while, the figure still had not moved, but the sound of something scraping the floor continued.


    Soon, Xu Shuo saw another figure, a woman whose upper body was nearly severed at the waist, with only a strip of flesh and blood connecting her lower half, her head hung down, arms drooping, her appearance exceedingly terrifying.


    Because the path in front was blocked, the woman also stopped.


    Then, one after another, slow dragging sounds followed.


    The weird low hum came from nowhere, and more and more of the sticky liquid flowed onto the floor, emitting an unbearable stench of decay and spreading towards where the two were seated.


    Xu Shuo kept hisposure and casually crossed his right leg over his left, mirroring the action of the Hoodie Man next to him.


    The Hoodie Man couldn''t help but nce at him, but the young man''s expression was as usual, still focused on ying with his phone.


    The thick, foul-smelling liquid meandered along the floor''s grooves without any pattern. The Hoodie Man''s peripheral vision caught it bypassing his shoes, which eased his mind slightly.


    But just then, the old figure that had been standing in front of their seat slowly turned its head towards them.


    Beneath the matted hair was a pair of hollow, pitch-ck eyes. Wrinkled skin cut and fell away, blotched with blood, swarming with wriggling ck bugs, inducing a wave of nausea.


    The Hoodie Man, under that gaze, shivered all over, feeling as though he had fallen into an ice cer, fear surging uncontrobly!


    What''s going on?


    Why is it looking at him?


    What exactly is this Illusory Realm?


    Just as the Hoodie Man''s fingertips twitched slightly, Xu Shuo suddenly spoke up, "You might as well take that cigarette out, or the steward will misinterpret itter."


    That voice, like a thunderp in spring, suddenly dispersed some of the Hoodie Man''s fear; he came back to his senses, his gaze hardened.


    "Alright, I know I can''t light up, I just wanted to hold it to curb the craving," he said reluctantly, removing the cigarette from his mouth and stuffing it into his pocket.


    But at the same time, the fingers that went into the pocket unexpectedly pinched a card.

 Chapter 133: Chapter 129: Dont Jinx Yourself

    Xu Shuo was a bit curious, if they arrived at the station and the Illusory Realm still existed, where would they step off to after getting out of the train?


    Would they directly return to the real world, or would they disappear on the spot the moment they disembarked?


    Or, if the Illusory Realm wasn''t resolved, even after getting off, would they still be in this weird world?


    After this, Xu Shuo thought of an even more serious problem, his trip to Pengcheng was for a business talk, and he had arranged to meet at a meal in the Pengcheng Hotel at noon.


    If he continued under the influence of the Illusory Realm, he might not even be able to find the people.


    So, he hoped the big brother next to him had a solution.


    Once the Hoodie Man was free from the strange psychological suggestion, his left hand was tightly clenched in his pocket, he was wearing a loose hoodie, with a very deep pocket that could almost conceal his entire palm.


    Xu Shuo nced out of the corner of his eye, unable to see what was inside.


    Anyway, since the Hoodie Man was sitting next to him, if something happened, this guy would be the first to deal with it, so he wasn''t in a hurry for the time being.


    But after a while, the old man who had been staring this way slowly turned his head away again, then, dragging his broken leg, he continued to move forward, very slowly, very slowly.


    Next was the woman whose upper body was nearly falling off, limply swaying her legs to move forward, and behind them, many more variously shaped people followed suit and left.


    A viscous dark red liquid seeped from the rotting, stinking flesh and blood, ck bugs fell from their bodies along with the liquid, flowing onto the ground, a pair of pallid, dusty feet stepping on the liquid, making faint wet sounds.


    The Hoodie Man was puzzled, but since the group hadn''t made any moves, he suppressed his actions and stared unwaveringly at the back of the seat in front of him.


    "Hee-hee~"


    Suddenly, a tinkling, childishughter echoed throughout the train car.


    Because there were other passengers talking in the car, the Hoodie Man initially thought it was the sound of a child brought by real passengers ying, but as theughter grew longer and more eerie, he became suddenly rmed.


    "Hahaha~"


    The child''s yful and naiveughter continued,ing from all directions, spooky and strange.


    Xu Shuo was ying Tetris on his phone when suddenly, a drop of pitch-ck, viscous liquid fell onto his screen, causing his finger to pause.


    The Hoodie Man next to him nced inadvertently and felt the hair on his body stand up.


    A little child hanging upside down from the ceiling of the train car turned its face toward them, its short hair hanging down, stuck together by the ck liquid, with thick ink flowing from its empty eye sockets, its body pale, riddled with stitches, flesh and blood as if crushed by arge vehicle, then pieced back together, presenting an unexpectedly revolting sight.


    For a moment, the Hoodie Man barely suppressed his nausea.


    But after all, this wasn''t the first time facing such things, he managed to hold it in and even calmed down his racing heart.


    However, he felt a bit sorry for the young man next to him.


    Because that creature had opened its gaping mouth, split to the ears, giving its smile a horrifying grimace, and as it hung upside down, it directly faced Xu Shuo, its decaying face extremely close!


    "Whoosh~"


    Suddenly, the child blew a breath on Xu Shuo''s face, the air slightly lifting the youth''s bangs while an unbearable stench of rotting corpse also hit him in the face.


    Xu Shuo remained expressionless.


    The child tilted its head, then brought its face even closer, its vacant pupils dark and empty, staring intently at Xu Shuo.


    Xu Shuo''s eyes were slightly drooping, his gaze still on his phone.


    The youth''s face was clear and handsome, his features defined and strong, yet with hardly a trace of aggressiveness, the slender corners of his eyes carried a soft quality, his normally expressionless visage still exuding an approachable warmth.


    When he smiled, it was especially bright and dazzling, filled with a warm, sunny disposition.


    And just as that creepy child was getting closer to him, the young man''s mouth suddenly curved into a faint smile, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes.


    The child suddenly felt a sense of danger and swiftly moved away, the ck, sticky substance it was dangling from atop the train car writhed, relocating it onto the back of a seat ahead.


    Xu Shuo ignored the stain on his phone screen and after thest piece of Tetris fell into ce, scoring enough points, a "Victory" sign appeared.


    The child looked down at his phone but did not make any further movements.


    The Hoodie Man silently observed and also breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Gurgle, gurgle..."


    The eerie child suddenly muttered something in a strange voice, and then stretched out its pale hand to crawl on the wall of the train car, moving towards the back like a gecko, leaving a trail of sticky liquid along its path.


    After it left, the thick and nauseating sensation gradually dissipated, and the long, drawn-out humming sound in the train car also faded.


    Only the foul smell of decaying flesh still lingered at the tip of the nose.


    ...


    Boom¡ª


    Suddenly another roaring noise came from outside, a blinding white light shed by instantly engulfing the dense darkness.


    Blue sky and white clouds, the cityscape came into view, and the shaking train car stabilized, returning to its original clean and tidy state from the ragged, filthy mess.


    The passengers inside the train car were packing up their luggage and fixing up their clothes because they were about to arrive at the station.


    Hoodie Man sat motionless, his expression dark and indecipherable¡ªcould that child be the source of the Illusory Realm?


    It was only a short experience, yet time seemed to have been stretched to eternity. One couldn''t sense any changes in the real world. It felt like merely a moment had passed, yet also an eternity.


    The images of walking decayed corpses were deeply etched in his mind.


    Hoodie Man turned his head to look towards the back, but at this moment, the train car was perfectly normal, and he saw nothing unusual.


    Xu Shuo nced at his phone. The unidentified liquid had already vanished, and the "sending" message had gone through without his knowledge, but it didn''t seem to have caused any issues.


    He unplugged the power bank and handed it back to Pei Sheng, "Here you go."


    Xu Shuo then addressed the still motionless Hoodie Man, "Sorry, I need to get my luggage."


    Hoodie Man looked up at him, got up, and made way for him. Xu Shuo took down the small suitcase from the rack and temporarily ced it in the aisle.


    The high-speed train had entered the station and soon came to a slow stop.


    Pei Sheng stretched out greatly and let out a groan, "Finally, we''re here. I''ve been dying with no signal for the second half of the trip!"


    "Next time download an offline game," Xu Shuo suggested casually, pushing his luggage and lining up to disembark.


    "I don''t have the patience for those clear-the-level games of yours," Pei Sheng said, curling his lip.


    The two talked as they stepped onto the tform. They nced at the exit and then turned to walk towards it. At that moment, a voice suddenly called out to them from behind.


    Xu Shuo hadn''t turned around, but Pei Sheng had already looked back and said, "Hey, it''s your seat neighbor from before."


    Hoodie Man, with his light backpack, jogged over and stopped, staring intently at Xu Shuo, "Actually, you saw it too just now, didn''t you?"


    Pei Sheng looked puzzled.


    Xu Shuo didn''t answer but instead said indifferently, "I told you we''d arrive safely. Also, next time don''t talk about all sorts of nonsense on the train."


    Crow''s mouth.


    Fortunately, this incident didn''t cause any dys.


    After saying that, Xu Shuo turned and walked away. Pei Sheng followed behind with a look of bewilderment, unable to resist asking Xu Shuo for rification on their exchange.


    Hoodie Man was rendered speechless: "..."


    ...


    Walking on the tform, Xu Shuo took out his phone to check the map, and asked, "Did you buy our return tickets?"


    Pei Sheng nodded, "Yeah, the day after tomorrow at three in the afternoon."


    "By high-speed train?"


    "Yep."


    "Change it. I''m taking a train."


    "????"

 Chapter 134: Chapter 130 Cooperation

    ```


    Arriving in Pengcheng, the bustling city, and settling into the hotel for rest, Xu Shuo had finallye to aplete break from business by evening after having dinner and negotiations with the partner.


    Negotiating business wasn''t something that could be concluded in a single day, and they would have to continue discussions about the details tomorrow.


    In his n, he only had three days. If a satisfactory agreement wasn''t reached within that time frame, he would simply pack up his things and move on to the next potential partner.


    But now with some free time on his hands, Xu Shuo wasn''t preupied with preparing for the continuing negotiations but rather opened hisptop and searched for past ident records of the Pengcheng high-speed rail line.


    However, the high-speed rail line from Yangcheng to Pengcheng had only been operational for three years and nothing major had happened during that period, at most a few normal equipment malfunctions and one emergency brake incident.


    Such incidents weren''t even as newsworthy as a regr traffic ident.


    The Hoodie Man was right, high-speed trains do indeed have a higher fault rate than airnes, but the actual impact was quite minor.


    Recalling the environment inside the train he had seen after entering the realm and the attire of those people, Xu Shuo furrowed his brows slightly.


    After a long while, he directly searched for all the train derailment incidents recorded to date, focusing on the timeframe before 2015, which was before the discontinuation of the green-skin trains.


    Then, the vast amount of information that came up on the inte instantly dampened Xu Shuo''s exploratory zeal somewhat.


    So many, I don''t want to look anymore.


    However, this was the first time he had encountered a supernatural event in the real world. He had taken that train to Pengcheng before but had never ridden the "Spirit Car".


    Xu Shuo was unclear whether it was because he had joined Script Space or due to some other factor, but the presence of a supernatural event in the reality he lived in made him feel very anxious without proper understanding.


    A ce like a school would obviously be a hotspot for incidents.


    Xu Shuo rubbed his forehead and scrolled down with the mouse to continue reading.


    But at that moment, someone suddenly knocked on the door of his hotel room.


    The irregr sequence of "bang, bang, bang" did not cease, fully expressing the impatient sentiment of the person waiting outside.


    Both Xu Shuo and Pei Sheng had booked single rooms, and Xu Shuo initially thought it might be Pei Sheng with some issue, but after he went over to open the door, it took less than a second for him to close it hastily again.


    "Wait a minute!"


    The person knocking quickly tried to wedge their foot against the door, but Xu Shuo, unsympathetically, kicked it away and forcefully shut the door.


    The next moment, the knocking resumed with a ng.


    Xu Shuo, calm, walked over to pick up the room''s phone, and at that moment, the person outside hastily said, "I think I might know how that incident happened!"


    "¡­"


    ¡­


    After a while, the scruffy Hoodie Man sprawled casually on the sofa.


    Xu Shuo sat opposite him neatly, not bothering to ask how he found his hotel room, and directly inquired, "What happened?"


    The Hoodie Man looked around and said, "Aren''t you going to offer me a cup of water?"


    "Out the door and to the left."


    "Man, you''re really cold," the Hoodie Man said, touching his nose. "Let me introduce myself first, my name is Luo Kai, and I''m a Wanderer."


    "Hmm, my name is Pei Sheng, and I''m a salesman," Xu Shuo also said.


    The Hoodie Man paused, then dully said, "Isn''t that your friend''s name?"


    Could you at least make an effort to disguise it?!


    Xu Shuo looked at him calmly.


    Luo Kai sighed deeply, straightened himself from his casual slouch, and spoke earnestly with a serious expression, "Ten years ago, train G123 from Yangcheng to Xiangcheng had a severe derailment. The entire train fell off the bridge, with over eight hundred people perishing!"


    While there have been numerous train derailments over the past few decades, that particr event caused a massive public outcry nationwide!


    But at that age, they were still kids and didn''t have a strong memory of it.


    Now that he mentioned it, Xu Shuo faintly began to recall some of it.


    Luo Kai continued, "There were newspapers left on the seats inside the carriage, dated 2011. Using that year, I managed to pinpoint the specific incident."


    ```


    He was sitting outside at the time, andpared to Xu Shuo''s field of vision, he could see much more.


    The train car seemed to be a green-skin train from the decades ago, with torn and tattered seats, and the kind of windows that could be opened; even the clothing styles worn by the people passing by were full of a sense of the era.


    As long as those pieces of information were locked down, it would be easy to look up.


    However, neither the time of the urrence nor the cause of the event was actually what Xu Shuo cared about.


    After Luo Kai rambled on with his spections, he looked at the young man opposite him and found that his expression from beginning to end hadn''t changed in the slightest.


    His brows slightly drooped, his hands rested on his legs, and his clean-cut handsome face was tranquil and indifferent, even carrying a hint of a serene quality detached from worldly matters.


    Put in colloquial terms, it was full of a ''Buddha-like'' vibe.


    Luo Kai had talked for quite a while, his mouth was dry, and he hadn''t even had a sip of water. Now, feeling helpless, he said, "Alright, brother, I''lly it on the table, I need your help."


    "Not helping," Xu Shuo finally spoke up, his voice short and forceful.


    "Don''t be in a hurry to refuse, just listen to me first," Luo Kai waved his hand and continued, "Only the two of us entered the Illusory Realm on the train, and I think you must have understood something too, because we are the same kind of people."


    "I''ve had Yin-Yang Eyes since I was a kid," Xu Shuo saidzily, his gaze sidelong at him.


    "..."


    Luo Kai was suddenly choked up.


    He stared, dumbstruck for a moment. Although he didn''t dismiss the possibility, he always felt like the young man was making fun of him.


    After thinking it over, Luo Kai took out a card from his pocket, the size of a poker card, reflecting a metallic texture under the room lights with its silver base.


    He tossed the card over with a flick, and the seemingly heavy metallic card spun in the air, but Xu Shuo caught it effortlessly.


    "I''m giving you a quarter of the payment up front, is that enough of a gesture?"


    Luo Kai blinked his dark-circled dead fish eyes, trying to spread his sparkling sincerity, all the while keeping his gaze fixed tightly on Xu Shuo, with an unclear meaning in the depths of his eyes.


    The moment Xu Shuo caught the card, he caught a glimpse of a prompt popping up in the corner.


    [You have received a 100 points recharge card from a friend, would you like to deposit it into your ount?]


    A hundred points?


    So the total payment is only four hundred points?


    That sounded very little.


    Xu Shuo''s points were even lower than his Performance Value, only in the double digits, so he directly threw the card back.


    "Too low."


    "..."


    Luo Kai caught the card, momentarily at a loss for words, but the test in his heart already had its result.


    They really were the same kind of people.


    Then the negotiation that followed would be much simpler.


    It was unclear what Luo Kai did, but he quickly threw the card back, gritting his teeth as he said, "Fine, I''ve added a zero!"


    [You have received a 1000 points recharge card from a friend, would you like to deposit it into your ount?]


    Xu Shuo looked at the silver metallic card without any pictures, his eyebrows slightly raised.


    Actually adding money without haggling?


    If he wasn''t a fool, did that mean the Spirit Car Illusory Realm was very important to him, and also that he was very wealthy?


    Xu Shuo opened his mouth.


    Luo Kai immediately red and said, "That''s the bottom line! I''m not your employee, nor can I be exploited like this. I might as well go by myself!"


    Xu Shuo: "Tsk."


    He hadn''t exploited Pei Sheng, had he?

 Chapter 135: Chapter 131 Screenwriter

    The next day, when Pei Sheng appeared yawning, he heard someone say, "Let''s switch the train tickets back, I''m not taking the train anymore."


    Pei Sheng: "???¡ªBig brother, are you ying with me, or are you ying with mosquitoes?"


    Hearing this, Xu Shuo turned his head to look at him, but it seemed that something urred to him. His calm gaze fixed on Pei Sheng for a good while before he slightly furrowed his brows.


    Pei Sheng immediately felt uneasy under the stare and was even more afraid that the man would suddenly smile.


    Just as he was about to say something, he heard Xu Shuo say, "I won''t switch, your ticket will be switched over."


    Pei Sheng: "????"


    He really was just messing with him, wasn''t he!!


    ...


    The following two days of business negotiations went fairly smoothly. Xu Shuo had some matters to attend to and loosened up a bit, and soon both parties had signed the contract.


    Three in the afternoon was the previously scheduled time for the return journey.


    Pei Sheng would rather be beaten to death than take a train which journey was extended by half an hour, but as he prepared to enter the station, he found out that Li Ziwen had switched his train ticket.


    Even if he could buy a new ticket now, he would not be able to purchase one for this train service.


    "Are you screwing with me!" Pei Sheng red at that certain someone.


    "See you in Sun City." Xu Shuo waved at him with a smile, left his small suitcase with the other, and entered the station, turning away with cold indifference.


    Pei Sheng, left behind, trembled with anger, then quickly took out his phone, made a call with a ferocious look, and roared, "Arrange a helicopter back to Sun City for me right now! I''m going to fly there and scare the crap out of that guy!"


    The other end: "..."


    The call was mercilessly hung up.


    Pei Sheng was so angry he wanted to throw his phone, but then remembered it was brand new, bought just two days ago.


    ...


    ...


    On the high-speed train.


    Xu Shuo found his seat, ced his lightweight backpack on the rack, and then began to rest with his eyes closed.


    After that self-proimed Wanderer named Luo Kai had sought him out, Xu Shuo took the rare initiative to contact Hong Rao. Without giving her the chance to talk about other things, he directly asked his question.


    "Why would a yer be interested in a case from the real world?"


    "Ah?"


    Hong Rao was caught off guard by the question. The expression on her enchanting and stunning face showed confusion, but then she recovered and saidposedly, "What you''re talking about might belong to another profession, called ''Director''."


    Just like she can reduce the frequency and duration of entering scripts by bing a ''Mentor'', there''s also another role in Script Space¡ªthe ''Director'', who specializes in creating scripts.


    "If theye across a situation that can be extracted into a ''script'', they need to personally participate in the case, reconstruct the course of events, and finally have the system produce it into a Scripted Murder Game for us yers to challenge.


    "Um, of course, for low-levelmon scripts, personal involvement isn''t required; the system can automatically generate them based on information from the world.


    "But with veryplicated events, a yer''s direct involvement is necessary. Usually, these events are mostly Mutant Scripts, or those with so many twists that they give you a brain burn."


    Hong Rao pondered as she spoke.


    Xu Shuo narrowed his eyes slightly: "Are all the Scripted Murder Games here extracted from the real world?"


    "Maybe." Hong Rao shrugged: "But you should know, there are countless worlds here, and yerse from various worlds¡ªwho knows where those weird and odd scripts are extracted from."


    "I understand now." Xu Shuo nodded.


    "So why are you asking? Did you encounter one?" Hong Rao leaned in with interest.


    "Thank you, I''m off." Xu Shuo turned and disappeared.


    "..."


    Damn it! She is his mentor after all, seeing her only as a tool is just too much!


    Hong Rao puffed up her cheeks in indignation.


    ...


    Time reverted to the real world.


    Xu Shuo had just closed his eyes to rest for a short while when someone sat down beside him, bringing with them a heavy scent of smoke.


    Almost in the same spot, Xu Shuo sat on the inside, while Luo Kai took the outside seat, his wide ck hat nearly covering half his face, revealing only the lower half that was unshaven.


    Luo Kai nced at Xu Shuo, who still had his eyes closed, then took in the sights of the train carriage.


    Compared to those heading to Pengcheng, there were not many people returning to Yangcheng from Pengcheng; passengers were sparse, sitting scattered around the carriage. Due to theck of people, seats were basically chosen at will.


    "What about your friend?" Luo Kai, with nothing better to do, couldn''t help but start talking incessantly.


    "He took a helicopter back." Xu Shuo replied offhandedly.


    "..." Luo Kai gave him a nk look, his expression odd, "Cough, pretty wealthy, huh?"


    He suddenly remembered that when the guy''s phone had no signal on the train, he kept fussing about getting off and immediately changing phones.


    Luo Kai remarked, "But it''s good he didn''t take the train, after all, the Illusory Realm is very likely to select tracks randomly, and it could appear on any operating high-speed rail or train."


    Xu Shuo responded, then suddenly added, "So, are you really certain we''ll encounter it again this time?"


    "Fifty-fifty," replied Luo Kai with a smile, his gaze flickering slightly, appearing to be somewhat inscrutable as he watched the young man beside him still resting with his eyes closed, his head leaning against the wall of the carriage.


    Soon, with a slight tremble, the high-speed train started moving slowly.


    The carriage was very stable, with hardly any jostling, and the noise from outside was so faint it was almost nonexistent.


    But after an unknown duration of travel, suddenly a loud booming sound shed by, and Xu Shuo felt the sensation of light on his eyelids darken.


    He opened his eyes, and before his sight was pitch darkness; the ckness outside the window flowed past like thick ink.


    Amidst the faint conversation of the passengers, strange low chanting began to resonate from all around the carriage, indistinguishable and incessant, followed by the sound of something dragging and scraping.


    An unpleasant stench of decay began to waft to his nostrils.


    Luo Kai''s expression turned solemn; he extended his finger and tapped twice in the air, then said in a low voice, "Brother, let''s form a team."


    [A team invitation is nearby, would you like to enter?]


    They have this feature?


    Without stretching out his hand, Xu Shuo willed his eptance, and soon a team panel appeared in the upper right corner showing "Team Leader Luo Kai, Team Member Xu Shuo."


    Luo Kai then continued to manipte the air, presumably using his own yer''s Handbook, but without authorization, others couldn''t see it.


    Shortly after, a progress bar appeared before Xu Shuo.


    [Retrieving in progress¡­]


    [Retrieval sessful, the yer must participate throughout the production, would you like to enter?]


    [Agree.]


    Boom¡ª¡ª


    Another massive boom sounded, and in an instant, the pitch ck outside the window was reced by a pleasantndscape, blue sky, white clouds, and brilliant sunshine; the bustling noise and heavy smoke also rushed in.


    The ghosts that were just about to walk over from the tail of the carriage, along with the spreading dark red liquid and the foul stench of decay, had all disappeared.


    Conversations, scolding, yful noises, the carriage filled with people bustled with the breath of life.


    This was a very old-fashioned green-skin train.

 Chapter 136: Chapter 132 Why Perform without Compensation

    The bright sunlight streamed in through the open window, making the train carriage exceptionally lively. Snake-skin bags filled with luggage were carelessly piled on the floor, and a variety ofplex odors intertwined, particrly stinging to the senses.


    The two stood at the junction between two carriages where the smell of smoke was even thicker. The small window on the door still offered views of the outside scenery.


    When Xu Shuo had arrived, he wore a in grey-blue shirt and ck trousers, which didn''t look out of ce in the era of the carriage.


    Luo Kai was still in his dark, nondescript hoodie. He was disheveled and blended in perfectly.


    He looked around, then happily pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and began to puff away with a satisfied expression, blending in with the people around him.


    Puffing on his cigarette, Luo Kai also started to chat with a middle-aged man beside him, "It''s really stuffy in here. I have to stay until the final stop. Big bro, where are you getting off?"


    "..."


    Xu Shuo waved his hand to fan away some of the smoke, then walked into the carriage.


    Since it was not a Scripted Murder Game, the two of them entered this world without any roles or identities, using their real selves. This was also Xu Shuo''s first time ying a game as himself.


    And ording to what Hong Rao had said before, to create the script, they first needed to find the "core" of it.


    The story might not be the reason for the train derailment, nor the appearance of the Spirit Car Illusory Realm, but no matter what the story was in the end, it would always have a core point running through the entire script.


    And that was what they were looking for.


    There were many people talking loudly in the carriage, and a few kids were ying around, running about mischievously.


    As soon as Xu Shuo walked in, he was bumped into by two kids pushing each other. The items they were holding also fell to the ground.


    It was a packet of spicy strips.


    "Ah, they fell!"


    The child cried out and quickly picked up the bag, but several strips had already scattered out; now there were only two lonely ones left at the bottom that hadn''t fallen out.


    "It''s all your fault for not holding it properly!" the boy next to her yelled angrily, snatching the remaining spicy strips from her hand.


    "But..." the little girl pursed her lips, then looked up at Xu Shuo with eyes filled with grievance and usation, yet also fear and timidity aboutying me.


    Even so, clutching at her clothes, she said woefully, "Sorry, big brother, I bumped into you."


    The boy beside her, eating the remaining spicy strips, gave Xu Shuo a re, "It''s all his fault. He suddenly came out of nowhere. He shouldpensate!"


    The little girl blinked, "Brother, that''s not nice..."


    "Then you better eat up all those on the floor, don''t waste them!" the boy said immediately after.


    "..."


    Tears began to well up in the eyes of the little girl, who started to sob. This made the boy impatient, and he pushed her before turning and running away.


    Xu Shuo crouched down and looked carefully at the little girl''s face.


    The young man''s bright ck eyes watched her quietly, his pupils reflecting only her figure, clean and clear. The little girl was so intently looked upon that she couldn''t help but blush, and suddenly stopped crying.


    She fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, bashfully lowering her head, and then noticing the spicy strips on the floor of the carriage, she quickly crouched down to pick them up.


    The red oil stained her clean, fair hands, but the little girl didn''t actually eat them; she just shyly walked past Xu Shuo and trotted over to the trashcan to throw them away. However, when she wanted to wash her hands next, she found that the washbasin was too high for her.


    At that moment, Xu Shuo walked over and lifted her up, "Can you reach it now?"


    The little girl was stunned for a moment, looking at the washbasin so close to her. Once she came to her senses, she quickly turned on the tap and washed off the oil stains from her hands.


    After she was done, Xu Shuo set her back down.


    "Thank you, big brother." The little girl blinked up at him, drying her hands on her clothes.


    "Go back, don''t run around in the carriage," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    The girl nodded as if pecking seeds, nervously turned around, and ran back into the carriage to her seat. Halfway there, she turned back to look at Xu Shuo again.


    Her shoulder-length hair traced an arc in the air. Her cheeks, with a few sunspots, were flushed red. The girl''s eyes were filled with curiosity about the stranger.


    Xu Shuo curved his lips in a smile, which made the little girl shyly lower her head again, quickly disappearing into the seats.


    ...


    "Bro, who are you trying to seduce?" Suddenly, Luo Kai, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, came over, speaking while his gaze drifted into the carriage.


    "Do you have any clue yet?" Xu Shuo calmly turned his head to look at him, acting as if the previousment fell on deaf ears.


    "I found out¡ªthis is indeed the train from Yangcheng to Xiangcheng, the very one associated with the incident, the G123 train. Today is April 1st, and most people here are probably heading back for the Qingming Festival to tend to graves," Luo Kai said slowly, exhaling a puff of smoke.


    "Hmm," Xu Shuo responded.


    "The derailment of the train likely isn''t the main plot point; if it were, we would have started near the train''s head. This is the thirteenth carriage, way too far back."


    "Hmm."


    "Therefore, the core element of this script must be inside this carriage."


    "..."


    After a while, having smoked his cigarette, Luo Kai turned to look at him, puzzled, asking, "Why aren''t you responding?"


    Don''t you need to respond so he can continue with the rest of what he''s saying!


    Xu Shuo, standing next to the bathroom, crossed his arms and leanedzily against the wall of the carriage, looking at him with a half-smile, "Before we even entered the Illusory Realm, you were already clear about your target, and I''m just bait you tossed in, right?"


    Luo Kai''s hand, holding a lighter, paused.


    Click~


    He produced a me and then took out another cigarette from his pocket, chuckling, "Bro, you really are extraordinary, not even pretending a bit."


    "Does it yield any interpretive value?"


    "No."


    "Then why bother acting?"


    "..."


    The two exchanged a meaningful look.


    Afterward, Xu Shuo shifted his gaze, surveying the noisy, bustling carriage, and continued, "I''m quite curious about how such an illusory realm is formed in reality."


    Luo Kai lit another cigarette, puffing on it as he spoke with a muffled voice, "They say it''s due to intense emotional contagion creating a strange maic field, which then materializes in another four-dimensional space. But because the spatial phase differs, the real world and the illusory realm don''t intersect. Only those of us with unique identities can enter the cracks; ordinary people hardly have a chance."


    Halfway through, he paused andughingly added, "Of course, those with Yin-Yang Eyes might get a glimpse."


    Xu Shuo nodded thoughtfully. This meant that these supernatural illusory realms wouldn''t affect ordinary people in the real world.


    Just like earlier on the train, where Pei Sheng waspletely unaware of the Spirit Car Illusory Realm, and they could even pass objects to each other.


    "All right, got any more questions?" Luo Kai smiled at him.


    "After you turn it into a script, will this illusory realm disappear?" Xu Shuo wondered aloud, turning his head to meet his gaze with calm, clear ck eyes.


    "A mutant script will," Luo Kai confirmed with a nod.


    "So basically, you''re transferring the entire anomalous space into the Script Space, creating a different world?"


    "Smart!"


    "And at the same time, the illusory realm will no longer appear in the real world?"


    "It won''t."


    "Because canonical scriptsck supernatural events, even if extracted they won''t cause any changes?"


    "That''s correct."


    "The incident at the school should be rtively simple to extract, right?"


    "That it should."


    "..."


    ...


    "Damn."

 Chapter 137: Chapter 133 Title in the Making...

    Just like Hong Rao, who, as a "mentor," needed to bring students toplete her performance, Luo Kai, as a "director," also needed to extract enough scripts within a limited time.


    If high-level scripts could not be extracted, he could only rely on quantity to stack up.


    Thinking back to their first meeting on the high-speed train departing from Yang City, Xu Shuo actually just casually tested the waters; he did not expect that incident to be genuinely turned into a script.


    This was too close to Xu Xi.


    "What''s it called?" he asked.


    "''Crimson Dusk,'' just an ordinary level-one script, the kind where yers can''t die inside," Luo Kai, who had been coaxed into talking, said listlessly.


    "How much is the usual workload for your profession?" Xu Shuo asked in a low tone.


    "That''s confidential, brother," Luo Kai nced at him.


    Xu Shuo raised his eyebrows but did not ask further, his gaze thoughtful as he looked around the noisy carriage.


    He consequently thought of another issue, if the yers did not meet the target for the number of scripts extracted, could they go out and create their own?


    After all, there aren''t so many idents in this world that you could just happen to encounter, or encounter within the system''s time limit.


    If it really came to that point, the yers would inevitably have other thoughts.


    Xu Shuo pondered, feeling that after the college entrance examination ended, he could consider sending Xu Xi to a martial arts school to learn some women''s self-defense during the summer vacation.


    Additionally, he needed to get her to read more psychology-rted books to avoid identally falling into any traps.


    He couldn''t help but let his thoughts wander off, when at that moment, Luo Kai nudged his arm with his elbow and gestured with his eyes toward the carriage: "That... It''s out again."


    Xu Shuo looked up.


    The little girl had run out from her seat again, her eyes bright and sparkling, her short hair somewhat disheveled, running askew in the swaying carriage.


    Luo Kai very consciously turned away and leaned against the wall on the other side, his back facing them as he smoked.


    Although the ghostly thing that appeared in the Spirit Car Illusory Realm moved like a gecko with its flesh and blood bursting apart, consisting of an oil-like viscous liquid, one could vaguely make out human features from that dirty face.


    It was a five or six-year-old child.


    Now, Luo Kai could also barely discern simr features from the face of that short-haired little girl.


    Plus, with her earnest behavior, she really did resemble¡ªthat eerie presence on the spirit car that was unusually friendly to Xu Shuo.


    The little girl who had run out to the end of the carriage slowed down, gazing eagerly at Xu Shuo, then shyly clenched her fist and stretched out her hand to him.


    "What?" Xu Shuo squatted down to look at her.


    "Thank you for earlier," the little girl said, opening her palm to reveal a Sweet Candy.


    "For me?"


    "Yes, yes!" the little girl nodded vigorously.


    Xu Shuo took it with a beaming smile, but before he could speak again, the little girl quickly turned and ran off, her lopsided figure dashing through the carriage.


    Luo Kai turned his head to sneak a peek and said regretfully, "Why didn''t you use your charm to keep her around and talk a bit more?"


    Xu Shuo stood up without a word, and only after the little girl''s figure was blocked by the seats did he start to walk further into the carriage.


    After ncing at the youth''s retreating figure, Luo Kai withdrew his gaze and focused on the void.


    [In Progress...]


    That progress bar was crawling sluggishly forward at a snail''s pace, having covered less than one-tenth.


    This made him inhale his cigarette with a sense of mncholy.


    ¡­


    As Xu Shuo approached the seat, he heard a loud woman''s voice, along with the noise of children ying.


    "Sit still and behave, will you? Can''t even let you eat in peace, huh!"


    "It''s the little sister''s fault for dropping my snacks, she''s to me!"


    "You''re the one who''s always pushing me out..."


    "me you, me you!"


    "Can you two just give me a break for once?"


    "Haha, it''s normal for kids to be a bit rowdy, better than my kid at home who never speaks up, can''t even get him to call out to someone."


    Seeing the woman scolding the two children, a middle-aged man sitting opposite couldn''t help but smile and mediate, even taking out a few pieces of candy and giving them to the two kids.


    Train journeys are always long, and a bit of liveliness can alleviate the boredom.


    The seats on the right were in pairs, with the two children squeezed onto the outer ones. But after their quarrel, they were now sitting too close forfort, and the boy kept pushing the little girl out impatiently.


    The woman sat on the inside, annoyed by their bickering. She might as well be out of sight, out of mind, so she turned her head to continue snacking on sunflower seeds and chatting with the other passengers.


    The little girl, pushed out of her seat, stood in the aisle sullenly looking at the boy and then at their mom, who wasn''t paying them any attention.


    Just then, she looked up and saw Xu Shuo, who hade over at some point.


    The young man gave her a gentle smile, as if his smile possessed theforting power of Magic Power, and the little girl''s anger dissipated. She even felt her cheeks turning red involuntarily.


    She ran over to Xu Shuo, showing him her candy and whispered, "I got two more sweets."


    The boy had also tried to snatch her candy earlier, but the girl was very protective of her snacks, which led to her being squeezed off the seat.


    Xu Shuo patted her little head and declined the candy, then looked up and found himself making eye contact with the middle-aged man sitting opposite.


    The man looked surprised and then smiled at him in a friendly way.


    After looking over, the middle-aged man turned away and continued his conversation with the woman.


    "Big brother, don''t you have a seat?" the little girl asked curiously.


    "I didn''t manage to get a seat ticket," Xu Shuo said with a smile.


    They stood in the middle of the aisle, steadying themselves against the side of the seats, while Xu Shuo''s gaze fell on the shelf on the carriage wall. He then leaned over to grab a newspaper.


    The little girl stood beside him. Because she had been pushed out of her seat and didn''t want to go back to fight for it, she leaned against Xu Shuo, chewing her candy and looked curiously around the carriage.


    Children can never sit still for long. She soon ran off again, looking and touching everything around. Fortunately, the adults did not mind seeing a child exploring, and some even gave her treats because they found her cute.


    When Xu Shuo turned to the second page of the newspaper, the girl ran back tugging at his trouser leg.


    Looking down, Xu Shuo saw her happily stretching out her hand: "I got a packet of cookies!"


    So, toddling around picking up treats, huh?


    Xu Shuo chuckled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a Sweet Candy and cing it in her hand: "Now you''ve got another candy."


    The little girl: "...?"


    She looked at the familiar candy in her hand, confused for a moment, uncertain whether this was the one she had given to big brother earlier or his own.


    Xu Shuo returned to his newspaper, his gaze suddenly focused and intent as he stared at a report below for quite a while.


    His expression was calm, and it was hard to guess what he was thinking.


    Butpared to his often cheerful demeanor, this detached, even casually indifferent look seemed somehow more genuine.


    After finishing another cigarette, Luo Kai swaggered over, nced surreptitiously at the little girl beside him, and spoke softly to Xu Shuo: "Did you find something?"


    Xu Shuo handed the newspaper to him.


    "Not sure if it''s rted."

 Chapter 138: Chapter 134 The Murderer

    ```


    "Hmm..."


    Luo Kai stared at the newspaper, lost in thought, his eyes revealing aplex stream of emotions, as if he was contemting something.


    Xu Shuo remembered that Xu Xi had shown a simr mix of emotions when she was troubled by a math problem before.


    After a while, Luo Kai spoke to him in a low voice again, "Although it''s not impossible, this spection is too far-fetched. You must have found something else, right?"


    Xu Shuo gave him a sidelong nce, "What are you here for?"


    Luo Kai: "..."


    He sheepishly smiled and then, pretending as if nothing had happened, turned his head away andzily surveyed the carriage.


    In this era, the windows of train carriages could still be opened, and the rumbling sound from the tracks filled the air, while the sunlight was dazzlingly bright.


    The carriage was crowded with passengers, with items haphazardly strewn on the floor, squeezed in wherever they would fit.


    Some people, toozy to go to the smoking area, simply lit up cigarettes right there in their seats, enveloping the space in clouds of smoke. Mixed with the smells of bare feet and various types of food, the aroma in the carriage grew even more unpleasant.


    Not even the wind from the windows could disperse the stench.


    Xu Shuo frowned slightly and soon returned to the connection between carriages, where at least there was only the smell of smoke.


    Leaning against the wall of the carriage, he took out his mobile phone from his pocket and skillfully opened Tetris.


    A little girl nearby watched him curiously, seemingly wanting to move closer but also hesitating, feeling it was too far. The next moment, her view was abruptly blocked by a man with a scruffy beard.


    Luo Kai squatted down, smiling with his yellowed teeth, and said ingratiatingly to her, "Little sister, brother here has some snacks too, do you want some?"


    He pulled out the candy he had conveniently pocketed earlier.


    However, the little girl suddenly widened her eyes, looking at him warily, and stepped back twice.


    Luo Kai: "..."


    He felt a blow to his pride.


    That''s not fair! He thought his looks weren''t much worse than that guy with a pretty white face!


    Fuming, Luo Kai touched his face, then felt the stubble on his chin that pricked his fingers.


    The little girl, still on her guard, ran back to her own seat; even though she had been squeezed out of her ce by her brother, standing next to someone she knew provided a sense of safety.


    Luo Kai pursed his lips, decided not to further engage with the little girl, and, lighting a cigarette, began to stroll through the carriage.


    The carriage''s passengers were a mixed lot ¨C couples with children, teenage students who appeared around eighteen or neen, neatly dressed office workers in suits and dress shoes, and elderly farmers with families in tow...


    In the row where the little girl sat, the four-seater on the right had a woman with two kids; opposite them sat a cultured middle-aged man and another woman who seemed to be a couple.


    In the six-seater on the left, four young people, three men and one woman, were ying cards. They appeared to be strangers, just getting along out of shared interest to pass the time.


    In the outer seat next to the aisle, a man and a woman, bored out of their minds, had also joined the chat with the right seat''s upants and even shared in the woman''s sunflower seeds.


    Luo Kai''s gaze swept over them casually.


    Among these people, one of them could be the perpetrator of the incident.


    Although extracting the script was not a game, and he wasn''t tasked with finding the killer, as a "Director," he needed to understand how the events unfolded; otherwise, the production progress would be dyed.


    He certainly didn''t want to get crushed by a derailed train.


    And he didn''t want to face that ''Little Ghost'' again.


    Thinking of the Little Ghost, Luo Kai subconsciously looked for the little girl''s figure and saw her bouncing off toward the end of the carriage to find the young man again.


    The little girl didn''t speak, just curiously watched Xu Shuo, and then ran back to her own seat. Whenever she felt bored, she would run back to the end of the carriage.


    ```


    Anyway, just can''t sit still.


    During this time, the woman scolded her impatiently twice, and the little girl stood beside her, looking up at the ceiling of the carriage, lost in thought.


    After spacing out for a while, the little girl tilted her head and suddenly turned to run towards the end of the carriage.


    Seeing this, the woman cursed angrily, "She''s always so restless!"


    The middle-aged man she was chatting withughed and the conversation flowed into how to educate children.


    ...


    After running over, the little girl tugged on Xu Shuo''s pant leg.


    Xu Shuo pressed the pause button on his game, looked down at her, and asked with a gentle smile, "What''s up?"


    Previously, the little girl had just peeked from the doorway, shaking her head and running off quickly whenever he asked her something, but this time, for some reason, she hade over to him.


    "Big brother..." the little girl clung to his clothes, her innocent face filled with a tangled hesitation.


    "Hmm?" Xu Shuo naturally squatted down to meet her eyes.


    "Just now, there was something really scary over there, staring at me..." the little girl mumbled, and seemed to want to point behind her, but Xu Shuo quickly caught her hand as she began to raise it.


    The little girl was stunned.


    Xu Shuo put down her raised hand and asked with a smile, "Then why didn''t you tell your mom?"


    "Mom is always chatting and doesn''t care about us," the little girl regained herposure, muttering unhappily as she lowered her head.


    "It''s okay, the train will soon arrive at the station, just wait a little longer, little sister," Xu Shuo said, patting her head which felt quite nice with its soft, short hair.


    "Oh..."


    The little girl pouted, looking at the young man before her, and suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, she turned and quickly ran back to the carriage.


    Luo Kai was walking this way, almost getting bumped into by the little girl barreling forward; he quickly stepped aside to give the "boss" room to pass.


    This ce is just an Illusory Realm, and the storyline unfolding is all things that have happened before; they are merely understanding the course of events, so this little girl will inevitably be the "boss."


    Watching the girl''s retreating figure, Luo Kai, with a cigarette in his mouth, came over and said in a low voice, "There''s a dead body in thepartment."


    "You just smelled it?" Xu Shuo nced at him with a cryptic look.


    "...Tch."


    Luo Kai continued, "The woman with the child is currently divorced, raising two kids alone, somewhat favoring males over females. She''s returning to Xiangcheng to tend to graves and has a rather blunt and dominant personality.


    "Opposite her is a couple who, it''s said, already have a child but didn''t bring them this time. They, too, are going back to their hometown for ancestral worship in Xiangcheng.


    "In the neighboring seat, the man on the outside is a salesman, and the woman is a white-cor worker, strangers to each other.


    "Those four young people inside, the girl and the boy next to her are university students, from the same hometown and university, but don''t seem to be dating. Those opposite them met on the train and don''t know each other either.


    "So, who do you think is the murderer?"


    After delivering a long spill of eavesdropped information, Luo Kai looked eagerly at Xu Shuo, finally asking the question.


    Xu Shuo remained calm, and replied with a question, "Why do you limit the scope to just that row of seats?"


    Luo Kai exhaled a puff of smoke: "Circling around the core, can''t be wrong."


    "And what if she''s not the core?"


    "...No way, right?"

 Chapter 139: Chapter 135 It Has Arrived

    Luo Kai nced at the system panel hanging in midair; after making a round through the carriages, the progress bar had reached two-tenths.


    This meant that his previous conjectures were likely correct. As a "director," if he couldn''t even understand the script he''d produced, he might as well be ying a ghost!


    The train was still on the move, with some time left on this journey.


    The view outside the window was a forestndscape with blue sky and white clouds, and the sunshine was splendid.


    The passengers in the carriage talked andughed loudly, creating a lively atmosphere,pletely unaware that before long, they might all be part of a news report.


    "For now, let''s proceed based on my spection," Luo Kai said, the corner of his mouth holding a cigarette, speaking with a slightly deep and husky voice.


    He paused slightly as he spoke.


    Scripts involving a change in form areparativelyplex, as the ghastly killings are profoundly supernatural, not to mention they epass all manners of supernatural phenomena.


    Sometimes they merely contain elements of form alteration, but the killings aren''t executed through such methods, making deductions quite headache-inducing.


    Xu Shuo nced at the carriage and said, "The method of the crime is normal, and pretty ordinary."


    "I want to rule out that woman first. She got on the train with two kids, and one of them is a bit special. From all angles, it wouldn''t be convenient for her to bring a corpse on board," Luo Kai continued.


    "The thing containing the corpse would need to be tightly sealed and iste the smell. A raffia bag is too flimsy and breathable; we can rule that out first. It''s likely in a backpack or suitcase," Xu Shuo said ndly.


    "There are many suitcases on the luggage racks, and that middle-aged couple has arge ck bag under their seats, and the woman has a small suitcase," Luo Kai observed.


    "I saw the couple open that ck bag¡ªthere was no problem with it," Xu Shuomented.


    "The four young people in the seats on the left appear lightly packed; the suitcases on the racks might not be theirs."


    "That girl isn''t the murderer," Luo Kai noted.


    The two of them spoke softly, back and forth, until Xu Shuo''sst remark made Luo Kai tilt his head and look over, then again at the carriage.


    The carriage was filled with joy andughter, inconceivable to anyone that among these people was a serial killer, with a corpse hidden among them.


    The cigarette Luo Kai had held in his mouth had burned down to the filter, and he exhaled the butt, then crushed it with his foot.


    "That man isn''t really a salesman either," Luo Kai mused.


    For some reason, Luo Kai suddenly felt a surge ofpetitiveness and continued, "Although they seem to be just chatting casually, that man keeps steering the conversation towards newspaper news, and he pays a lot of attention to the people around him. Plus, he''s carrying a gun; he might have set his sights on that murderer a long time ago!"


    Actually, thest sentence was probably the key point.


    Xu Shuo leanedzily against the carriage wall, a smile ying at the corners of his mouth, "Since it''s all so clear now, why don''t you hurry up and observe the script up close to speed up the progress, Director~"


    He drew out thest two words slowly, his voice brimming with mockery.


    Luo Kai''s expression stiffened, and he chuckled awkwardly: "Inside¡­ it stinks a bit."


    While saying this, he took another cigarette from his pocket and lit it. When his thoughts became irritably tangled, he couldn''t help but smoke furiously¡ªnicotine helped to calm his mind.


    It wasn''t just the smell that was rotten in the carriage; it was also dangerous.


    Each time he entered, Luo Kai felt his skin crawl with goosebumps as an eerie chill became distinctly palpable, yet he could never pinpoint the source of the problem.


    This also made him more reluctant to make any casual contact with the little girl.


    After all, he knew that this was only an Illusory Realm, and the Script Space had taken them back to revisit the past, but in reality, the Elf Train still hadn''t been extracted in the outside world.


    So that thing was always there.


    Who knows, in the real world, that ghostly entity might already be hovering near their faces, or even licking them at close range.


    He imagined that scene, and Luo Kai shuddered.


    ...


    The train continued to travel, passing mountains and ins, and then outside was a broad river.


    The few passengers in the carriage, each with their own secretive agendas, remained motionless, while time slowly passed, and the rumbling sound of the tracks outside never stopped.


    Staring into the void, Luo Kai suddenly became restless. It was clear that he was smoking faster, and Xu Shuo, standing beside him, felt like he was going to be marinated in the smoke.


    "You''re really not going to get lung cancer?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I did have it before..." Luo Kai was silent for a moment, then said with a world-weary voice after exhaling smoke, "Later, the game cured me. I was actually thinking about quitting, but after it healed me, I didn''t want to quit anymore."


    Xu Shuo was at a loss for words for a moment.


    He looked at his phone, and even though it was being used in the Illusory Realm, the battery was running low.


    And this also meant that a lot of time had passed.


    Luo Kai nced at his watch, then stared somberly at the carriage, "The time and ce I investigated before were around eleven o''clock in the morning when the train derailed on the bridge."


    Xu Shuo, reluctant to get involved, yawned, "But there''s absolutely no progress over there now; do we have to join in too?"


    "No, ording to the original rules, I just need to experience all of this to understand the event. Of course, I can also be a director and enter the plot, directing them to speed up the process," Luo Kai said, somewhat irritated.


    "But the derailment will happen soon, so how is this script going to continue?" Xu Shuo pondered, "A bunch of ghosts performing?"


    ...


    Luo Kai vigorously scratched his disheveled hair and stamped out his cigarette butt, saying, "But what I''m more worried about now is that we''re also in the carriage."


    Xu Shuo, "So you''re going to elerate the process?"


    He remained silent again.


    More than a dozen cigarette butts were crushed on the ground, the scenery of the river outside the window hadn''t ended yet, it seemed there was still a long time to go, but it might be in the next moment.


    Luo Kai looked up.


    The little girl in the carriage leaned against the seat, no longer running around, but as he looked over, she also happened to stealthily nce his way.


    Maybe she was just sneakily watching Xu Shuo, but she unexpectedly locked eyes with Luo Kai.


    The little girl appeared innocent and confused, with a bit of caution toward strangers, then she tilted her head and looked away.


    Suddenly, a voice came from beside them, "Hey, the viaduct ising."


    Luo Kai suddenly snapped back to reality, his eyes widening as he looked outside, but the rumbling sound seemed to be just for a moment, and the steel viaduct quickly shed by; the scenery outside once again became that of a cliff.


    The train had passed the viaduct!


    They had left the river behind them!


    Luo Kai was stunned for two seconds, then filled with question marks, his prepared action to use a prop ceased, and he looked at Xu Shuo with disbelief in his eyes.


    Xu Shuo paused, "What does this have to do with me?"


    Luo Kai shook his head in astonishment, "No, don''t you find it eerie?"


    "It is pretty strange," Xu Shuo nodded thoughtfully.


    "Then, brother, can your expression change a little? Otherwise, I look like an idiot."


    ...

 Chapter 140: Chapter 136: The Game Needs to Close the Loop

    The train had been running smoothly for another half an hour when it arrived at the station.


    Luo Kai''s cigarette fell from his mouth as he listened to the broadcast, and then he looked at the station sign outside; indeed, they had reached the final destination, Xiangcheng.


    The carriage had already be lively as people started preparing to disembark, bustling around and picking up their luggage. Xu Shuo and hispanion, who were standing by the door, were directly squeezed out of the way by the passengers.


    As soon as the conductor opened the door, those who had already grown weary of the train trip swarmed out in a rush.


    In the carriage, the row of people that Luo Kai had been especially attentive to alighted one by one, orderly. They seemed to show no abnormalities, even the salesman who carried a gun remained calm.


    The little girl waved goodbye affectionately as she passed by Xu Shuo.


    "So, are we getting off?" Xu Shuo looked at the person next to him, who was in a daze. He was the director; his word was final.


    "Ah, this..." Luo Kai snapped back to reality and again looked toward the empty carriage littered with garbage.


    He still felt a very dangerous sensation there.


    After some thought, Luo Kai, suppressing his sense of crisis, walked back into the carriage, looked up at the luggage rack, and then down at the floor where the backpack had been before.


    No matter what, this carriage was the site of the story''s unfolding.


    Yet, Xu Shuo followed the flow of people and got off the train. The style of the tform also dated back to more than a decade ago, so bare-bones it had a sense of bygone days.


    The tform was bustling, with some children behaving like wild horses freed from their reins upon alighting from the train, mixing theirughter with the scolding of parents.


    The surrounding crowd was hustling and bustling; no one wanted to linger on the tform.


    The person with the ck suitcase had also blended into the hurried crowd, the sunlight casting on the backs of the many departing passengers, rendering them somewhat unreal and dim.


    ¡ª That person had run away.


    It was as if a creepy voice came from the void, sinister, deep, and hoarse.


    Xu Shuo turned to look at the train, the dark green-skin train had weathered many storms, showing signs of wear on its body, yet remained sturdy.


    ¡ª Hehe, another little pathetic one is going to suffer.


    Childish jeers seemed toe from all directions, as the sunshine gradually turned chilly.


    The sky appeared to have spilled a bottle of thick ink, as countless oppressive and suffocating darkness swept over, instantly devouring the remaining light!


    ¡ª Thene and join me~


    ¡­


    Boom¡ª


    A sudden thunderous noise exploded in Xu Shuo''s mind, and his vision blurred.


    When he came back to his senses, he was standing in the moving train carriage again, beside a stunned Luo Kai.


    Luo Kai, holding his cigarette and breathing rapidly, suddenly stared intently at Xu Shuo, "Brother, do you know what I just saw?"


    "You saw a ghost," Xu Shuo said calmly.


    ...


    He had indeed seen a ghost and realized the scene had changed the moment after seeing the ghost.


    The same train that had arrived at the station was now once again on the move, with passengers still sitting in their seats chatting with each other, the carriage smelling foul as if nothing had happened.


    The view outside the window was of a winding river shimmering under the sunlight.


    In the distance was a red high bridge.


    Luo Kai''s face turned ugly, "This time, it might be for real."


    No sooner had the words left his mouth than the train entered the high bridge, with the view outside the window suddenly opening up to a beautiful vista of blue sky, white clouds, and river.


    However, the next moment the train violently jolted with a thunderous roar, tossing everyone, whether standing or sitting, to the ground unawares.


    Xu Shuo, steadying himself with the restroom''s doorknob, looked inside the carriage. The little girl, with a look of panic and sorrow on her face, suddenly turned to look at him.


    After that, the little girl disappeared.


    Darkness spread across the top of the carriage, and fresh red blood seeped out from the cracks, an eerie and cold aura took over the ce, and the entire train began to tip over to the left.


    The passengers'' cries of terror rose and fell in session, and the train, while hurtling at high speed, derailed and flung into the air in an instant!


    The long lotive plummeted towards the underpass, dragging the carriages behind it into a tilt¡ªscreams and cries of pain were unceasing, and everyone was engulfed by immense fear!


    "Heeheehee~"


    Sinisterughter rang out from nowhere, and Carriage Number Thirteen was emanating a heavy stench of decay; outside was still bathed in brilliant sunshine, but inside, the carriage was engulfed in oppressive darkness.


    A sensation of weightlessness began to assail everyone, as everything inside the carriage started to fall apart.


    And all this seemed to slow down as well.


    Xu Shuo looked up at the walls of the carriage, and in the darkness, he saw a strange figure crawling out; its appearance was indescribable, its contorted body moving over the flowing blood, thick and writhing like a blob of ink.


    "Hey!"


    In the chaotic carriage, Luo Kai steadied himself in a corner, turned his head, and shouted toward Xu Shuo, "Actually, there''s something¡ªI''ve never extracted the Mutant Script in this world!"


    The train was plummeting through the air, suitcases on the racks kept falling down, and some passengers had already been seriously injured midway.


    One of the ck suitcases collided back and forth within the carriage, and finally opened with a bang, flinging out a dismembered child''s body, chopped into pieces.


    Xu Shuo nced at the strange figure crawling over the side of the carriage, then looked back at Luo Kai and replied, "I know."


    Only fourth-level yers can change their professions, and Luo Kai, who could already be considered a veteran yer, seemed so unfamiliar with it, even asking for his help; there was only one possibility¡ª


    He had never encountered such a thing before!


    He needed someone to share the risk!


    Luo Kai dodged a flying body, steadied himself, and continued, "The scripts I''ve extracted before were always just the normal scripts; I even started to believe that there were no Mutant Scripts in this world!"


    "Now it''s right before your eyes," Xu Shuo said indifferently.


    "Brother, are you so calm because you already have a solution?" Luo Kai looked at him, somewhat amused and helpless. "This carriage is still falling, you could at least show some urgency."


    "Where are you with the extraction progress?" Xu Shuo asked.


    "Halfway through!"


    "Then now I''ll analyze the other half for you."


    Leaning back against the wall of the carriage, Xu Shuo adopted a reclined position, folded his arms, and said earnestly, "The little girl we saw was already dead and she wasn''t really the woman''s daughter, which you might infer from the woman''s indifferent attitude towards her and the little boy''s rejection of her.


    "The murderer dismembered the little girl and hid her in the suitcase.


    "The police were indeed on the murderer''s trail and followed them here, but during the chase, the train derailed.


    "We started as spectators on the train for the first cycle until just before disembarking, and the pursuing officer still hadn''t revealed the murderer.


    "Now is the second cycle."


    Xu Shuo finished speaking with a calm expression,pletely ignoring the darkness and blood that were spreading behind him.


    Listening, Luo Kai paused for a moment before continuing, "So what you''re saying is that the script requires the yers to expose the murderer before the train arrives at the station, or else it will trigger a derailment, resulting in total annihtion?"


    After he finished speaking, he saw the system progress bar hit eight out of ten.


    Just a little bit more!


    He''s the director, not only has he to recreate the story, but he also has to extract it into aplete game that yers can clear!


    "Wait a minute, if you put it that way..."


    Luo Kai suddenly thought of something and widened his eyes, "What we are seeing now, are these scenes from the past?!"


    Isn''t this supposed to be a purely material world?!

 Chapter 141: Chapter 137: Monsters Die When They Are Killed

    In the darkness, Xu Shuo''s face was expressionless, "Who knows."


    They hadn''t detected any hint of the train derailing; the train had simply veered off the tracks and plunged toward the bridge below while it was moving.


    Everything was as fluid as flowing water, with not the slightest prelude.


    The only exception was the little girl. If this was an image from the past, then she must have also been on the train at that time.


    But because it was something that happened in the past, they couldn''t determine what was real.


    These were questions that currently had no answers.


    As the two of them were talking, a strange creature crawled out of thepartment, its broken flesh and blood seeming like pieces stitched together, dripping with a thick, dark red fluid. The split-open mouth upied half of its face, its smile both fierce and uncanny!


    It reached out an arm; the skin was pale blue-gray, yet it was smeared with a tar-like ck stickiness.


    From behind the swaying trainpartment door, it reached out towards Luo Kai.


    However, sensing the chilling terror, Luo Kai stomped fiercely on the side of thepartment, and his body leaped backward, grabbing onto the door handle.


    But the next moment, as the already unsteady door from the impact suddenly came loose, the entire panel fell outwards, and Luo Kai, who was clinging to it, also dropped down with the force of inertia!


    Whoosh¡ª


    The fierce wind poured in through the torn opening, the sky outside still clear and the clouds sparse, with the sparkling surface of a river not far away.


    Beneath, rather than hard mountains, was a pitch-ck abyss!


    It seemed as if countless ghosts and monsters were baring their teeth and wing in the abyss, howling in a ghastly rage. While it was impossible to see clearly what lurked in the darkness, the oppressive, terrifying sensation still transmitted over.


    Falling down meant no chance of a whole corpse!


    Luo Kai quickly aimed his palm at the side of thepartment. A suction force twisted the outer shell of thepartment wall, which instantly restored itself, and the strong repulsive force pulled him back.


    As a result, just as he was about to reenter thepartment, the entire wall to which the suction force had adhered cracked open loudly!


    Without a foothold, he fell once more!


    Luo Kai: "???"


    "Really just singling me out for targeting, huh!"


    He furiously took out a bundle of hemp rope from the yer''s Handbook and threw it into thepartment; the rope energetically coiled, and after entering, itnded beside Xu Shuo.


    Xu Shuo paused and then grabbed hold of the rope.


    Soon, Luo Kai used the rope to leap back in from the outside, his right hand firmly gripping the doorframe.


    At the door ofpartment thirteen, a distorted and uncanny child was perched there, emitting a strangeugh, piercing and shrill.


    Seeing Luo Kai climb back up, it even cheerfully pped its hands.


    Yet the erosion of darkness continued, and the bodies of the passengers in thepartment decayed and broke down rapidly. Countless pairs of empty, ck eyes abruptly turned towards them!


    Drip, drip, drip...


    Nobody spoke, and apart from the sound of the wind outside, the silent train was filled only with the eerie sound of the dripping, flowing liquid.


    The passengers ofpartment thirteen were approaching at a slow pace.


    This time, Luo Kai didn''t think they would just pass them by.


    "Mutant Script, besides experiencing the events, do we also need to deal with the ghosts and monsters that appear?" Xu Shuo suddenly asked.


    "That''s probably it," Luo Kai said, his expression serious.


    "Has this train not yet finished falling?" Xu Shuo turned to look at the window; the train door he was leaning against was still intact.


    "This ''Little Ghost'' is controlling it."


    "What would happen if we leave thepartment?"


    "..."


    Luo Kai had just taken out a longsword, its hilt iid with a ruby, and hearing this, he hesitated and then turned to Xu Shuo, saying, "Brother, I should have known... your way of thinking is a bit different from most people''s."


    Although the train seemed to be constantly falling, it was actually suspended in midair, and stepping out of the carriage was tantamount to embracing the Abyss below.


    The original carriage had been corroded and worn by darkness, with blood seeping through the cracks and a thick ck sticky liquid spreading across the floor, emitting an unpleasant stench of decay.


    The Little Ghost''s sharp jeeringughter was still echoing, invading thoughts from all directions, making one''s head throb and swell.


    Luo Kai braced against the carriage wall to steady himself, bit his finger and smeared his blood on the Ruby, making the long sword burst into fierce mes.


    The shambling figures of the walking corpses paused for a moment, but quickly continued moving without consciousness, reaching the joint between the carriages.


    The next moment, it charged at Luo Kai with a crazed roar, its speed extremely fast!


    Hiss!


    The burning sword shed cleanly, the golden-red mes cutting a passenger in two, crackling as they burned the rotten flesh and blood.


    Xu Shuo discovered that nearly every yer had a Holy Weapon at their disposal.


    Back in "Dancer in the Dark," aside from the priest who relied entirely on props from the script, Officer Zhang had a silver dagger that cut through Necrophages like mud, and even their mutated ck Dog form could easily sever it.


    Xuena''s prop was a bit strange, but that bronze mirror seemed to attack the soul and appeared very useful against the Cultists.


    Theter female journalist was even holding a magical brick that could stupefy "Green-Faced Fangs."


    It was apparent that there were many such props in the store, and the game probably also frequently produced simr items.


    So, did they often deal with these monsters?


    Where exactly did these monsterse from?


    Why did they all seem essentially the same?


    "Brother, help me, I''ll add a thousand to your reward!" Suddenly, Luo Kai''s urgent shout came from beside him.


    Xu Shuo snapped out of his thoughts and said, "Two thousand points."


    "That''s too much!"


    "Three thousand."


    "...Fine, deal!"


    The mutated passengers burst out from carriage thirteen, and once they crossed that threshold, they became crazed and violent, biting at everything with reckless abandon!


    The connection between the carriages was just so big; after stepping out from the bathroom of carriage thirteen and over the connecting panel, there was the water boiler room of carriage twelve.


    But the door to carriage twelve was sealed shut, Luo Kai was retreating step by step, and had been cornered.


    These things, they were only attacking him!


    Xu Shuo leaned against the other side''s intact train door, turned his head to look at the Little Ghost perched at the edge of carriage thirteen, pping happily andughing gleefully.


    As Xu Shuo looked over, the Little Ghost also abruptly raised its head to look at him, something eerie seemed to be twirling within its hollow ck eyes.


    The flesh on its cheeks was cracked, but one could vaguely make out its face before death; its short hair, matted into clumps by a sticky ck substance, clung to its face as if fished out from a barrel of oil.


    Xu Shuo took a step forward.


    The Little Ghost shuffled backward.


    At that moment, a walking corpse that had crossed the carriage suddenly roared furiously, turning its broken body swiftly to pounce toward Xu Shuo at the door!


    In an instant, the doctor in a blood-stained white coat pulled out a fruit knife from his pocket, the de shing silver!


    The charging walking corpse''s form hesitated, and then it fell down stiffly.


    This was the second time Xu Shuo had used the "One-Click Kill" ability, but he still hadn''t figured out the principle behind this skill.


    Xu Shuo curiously looked down at the body lying on the ground, his gaze deep, his fingers stroking the sharp fruit knife in his hand, allowing the de to slice open his skin.


    The bright red blood flowed down his pale palm, dropping onto the filthy floor of the carriage.


    Then, the young man turned his head back to the Little Ghost in carriage thirteen, his mouth curving into a smile, both charming and strange.


    The Little Ghost quickly retracted its peeking head.

 Chapter 142: Chapter 138: This is a Newbie, Damn It!

    Xu Shuo stepped into carriage number thirteen, where a cold and viscous sense of oppression instantly washed over him, and strange, twisted murmurs invaded his mind.


    He raised his fruit knife, pushing aside those slow-moving walking corpses at will.


    The youth walked with a light and cheerful step, his blood-stained whiteb coat fluttering slightly, his eyes bright and clear, and the smile on his face growing ever more brilliant.


    If not for the striking fresh bloodstains and the smile that was brilliant to the point of being eerily sinister, he might still qualify for the endearing title of "the guy next door."


    "Let''s see, which little guy is hiding here~"


    In the middle seat of carriage thirteen, underneath seat number sixty-nine, a pitch-ck Little Ghost crouched on the ground.


    The ck trousers wrapped around its legs halted right there; then, the neer took a seat on the dpidated chair.


    The Little Ghost was tense for a long while, but no sooner had it let out a breath of relief, thinking the other hadn''t found it, than the next moment, a face with a beaming smile suddenly peeked out from the gap between the seat and the floor, and the youth let out a delighted sound: "Ah, found you~"


    Little Ghost: "!!!"


    Who exactly is the ghost here?!


    In an instant, a sharp, piercing scream erupted from the child¡ªa scream as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard, which prated the brain!


    Luo Kai, who was fighting outside, suddenly found his thoughts stalled, and his brain seemed to stop working.


    But in just a moment, he recovered, shook his aching head, and with a spin, kicked away the approaching walking corpse.


    He looked in the direction of carriage thirteen, a bit dazed.


    What had that guy done to the Little Ghost?


    ...


    Xu Shuo looked up to avoid the sudden rush of a dark shadow, then patted his irritated ears, frowning with an expression of dissatisfaction.


    "Why are you yelling so loudly?"


    The youth leaned back in seat sixty-nine, with the fruit knife in his right hand casually resting on his leg, its de still bearing a wisp of sinuous fresh blood.


    The Little Ghost that had burst out was oozing ck liquid, hanging upside down like a spider from the carriage ceiling, watching him fiercely and warily.


    Xu Shuo put away the odd smile on his face and calmly met the Little Ghost''s gaze.


    He was actually a bit curious¡ªwhy did this thing seem so frightened of him? Was there something about him that made the other apprehensive?


    From the time on the moving train, it seemed as if the other was trying to test something.


    He picked up the silver-gleaming fruit knife, tossed it into the air with a flourish, and then caught it firmly by the handle.


    The Little Ghost did not go into a frenzy.


    So it wasn''t the power of "One-Click Kill"?


    Then, Xu Shuo flipped through the yer''s Handbook again and took out a purple.


    The Dreamcatcher seemed not to be a one-time item, for it wasn''t damaged and had been reimed after capturing Qing.


    After pulling out the, the Little Ghost curiously turned its head to nce at it.


    Xu Shuo''s mouth once again spread into a brilliant grin, and with a chuckle, he suddenly leaped towards the Little Ghost on the ceiling!


    His sudden move startled the Little Ghost, which rapidly sprang away, and its unguarded action caused it to stter ck liquid everywhere, dripping with a pat-pat sound on the floor.


    The Dreamcatcher came up empty, and Xu Shuo turned his head to look behind, his face revealing a sinister smile.


    "You''re not very obedient," he said in a low tone¡ªQing was both obedient and cute.


    "Grrr..." the Little Ghosty on the ground, baring its sharp fangs at him threateningly, like a wild beast with its hackles raised.


    Suddenly, the walking corpses that were slowly moving outward froze in motion. They quickly turned their bodies and heads, and their hollow eyes locked onto the youth standing in the middle of the carriage.


    They let out frenzied roars, with teeth bared, ws extended, rushing towards him!


    Xu Shuo sneered coldly, casually discarding the Dreamcatcher, and amonce fruit knife twirled in his hand, securely grasped once again in his right.


    This was not a scripted game, so there were no limitations on the yers'' abilities and items.


    However, Xu Shuo didn''t use any abilities; he simply moved quickly towards the passengers, his fruit knife reverse-gripped, and hacked viciously at the already damaged neck before him!


    Fast! urate! Ruthless!


    The sharp de severed the head, and dark, rancid blood sttered out, staining the young man''s whiteb coat.


    Xu Shuo looked up to see more passengers rushing towards him; his eyes were exceptionally bright, sparkling with an intense and mad excitement!


    ...


    ...


    The connection between two train carriages.


    Luo Kai leaned against the door of carriage twelve, gasping for air, his face pale from blood loss. Paired with dark circles under his eyes and a stubbly beard, his appearance became even more haggard.


    However, the previously relentless onught of walking corpses now seemed to be diverted by something else, abandoning their siege on him.


    This allowed Luo Kai to take a moment''s rest.


    The color of the darkness had already invaded the carriage walls; an unbearable stench of decay spread throughout the train. Charred corpsesy scattered haphazardly on the ground, not emitting any scent of cooked flesh but rather intensifying the putrid odor to the point of nausea.


    Suppressing his difort, Luo Kai took something from the yer''s Handbook and popped it into his mouth, then, carrying his sword, he headed towards carriage thirteen.


    There was an eerie silence there, with no sounds of fierce fighting, only the dragging noises made by the moving corpses.


    This was a teammate he had randomly pulled in to share the risk¡ªLuo Kai still had no idea how strong the other party was...


    At that moment, he suddenly remembered he hadn''t yet checked this teammate''s personal information!


    Having encountered a Mutant Script for the first time in the real world, Luo Kai was already on edge, both physically and mentally focused on the script, only now btedly realizing his oversight.


    With this thought, Luo Kai opened the team list, then clicked on the name.


    Name: Xu Shuo.


    Level: Level 1.


    Skipping the myriad of information that could be ignored, Luo Kai''s gaze froze on the rank information at the bottom.


    yers typically pay close attention to this area, as just by looking at the level, one canrgely guess how many scripts the yer has been through and how much experience they have.


    Upon realizing this, Luo Kai quickly essed the "Performed Scripts".


    Hrious, only two scripts.


    "Damn it!"


    This guy''s a newbie to the extreme!


    Luo Kai quickly advanced towards carriage thirteen. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he felt a chill through his body.


    An intense foul stench hit him immediately, with limbs and fragments piled up throughout the middle of the carriage. On the floor, a viscous liquid flowed, intertwining with the passengers'' dark blood to create a twisted vision.


    The youth stood among the decaying bodies, his feet stepping on shattered skulls, his head lowered as he seriously wiped his fruit knife against his whiteb coat.


    His coat was already smeared with blood of various colors, and the thick, dark liquid dripped downward, pitter-pattering on the floor.


    In the deathly still carriage, this was the only sound.


    Suddenly, as if sensing something, the youth tilted his head and nced at the doorway.


    Under the somewhat disheveled ck hair, his handsome and refined features bore no hint of aggression. He was like the boy next door, even offering a very gentle and courteous smile.


    Luo Kai inexplicably shuddered, his hand subconsciously igniting mes on the long sword.


    "Brother, are you still sane?"

 Chapter 143: Chapter 139 Are You Sick?

    Xu Shuo wiped clean the fruit knife and inserted it back into the pocket of his pants casually, as the whiteb coat fell down, concealing its outline.


    He smiled, "What are you talking about?"


    Luo Kai stood at the door, his mouth opening and closing as if he had a lot to say but didn''t know where to start.


    Just now, for a moment, he had thought this little neer had been contaminated by something bizarre.


    Ah, no, this is a Level 1 neer?!


    Surely, he had been contaminated!


    "Why did you change your clothes?" asked Luo Kai with an ambiguous tone; he felt a strange sense of danger about the youth at this moment.


    "Bought them from the store. They have a defensive effect," Xu Shuo said casually, patting his dirty whiteb coat.


    Luo Kai nodded, then suddenly asked, "What about the Little Ghost?"


    He still stood at the door, not rashly entering, his gaze passing over the brutally dismembered corpse on the floor, searching for their target.


    "Here," Xu Shuo pointed towards the shelves.


    On the train''s shelf, ck viscous fluid kept dripping from the cracks, with the twisted and hideous Little Ghost perched on top, clutching the Dreamcatcher Xu Shuo had carelessly discarded.


    Perhaps out of curiosity about what it was, the Little Ghost had sneakily snatched away the Dreamcatcher while Xu Shuo was dealing with the passengers.


    Now, noticing the gaze of the two men upon it, it immediately threw away the Dreamcatcher, ck empty eye sockets oozing viscous fluid, ring at Luo Kai with bared teeth.


    In an instant, countless ck tentacles whipped out like lightning!


    Luo Kai: "???"


    Why is it targeting me again?


    Before the attack hit, Luo Kai quickly stepped out of the carriage, spinning to hide behind the car wall. Bang, bang, bang! The ck tentacles pierced through the wall of the carriage, narrowly missing his head.


    Luo Kai wiped away the cold sweat and waited a good while but heard no further movement inside.


    He carefully peeked around the corner, and suddenly, right up close, he found himself eye to eye with a pair of ck, blood-streaked hollow eyes!


    Luo Kai''s eyes widened, and golden-red mes instantly enveloped him, the encroaching darkness withering away into ck smoke as it touched the fire, and the Little Ghost, as if hurt by the ze, screeched and retreated.


    Then, Luo Kai grasped his sword and swung it from below in a fierce diagonal sh, the searing mes sting like a tornado into the carriage!


    Standing in the middle of the carriage, Xu Shuo quickly sidestepped to avoid the mes, which roared past his face, the rolling waves of heat lifting the hair from his forehead.


    Bang!


    The fire impact at the tail of the carriage scattered, burning through the ck viscous fluid, casting a faint blue glow.


    The Little Ghost shrieked sharply as the fire approached, jumping frantically atop the carriage, with its ck viscous fluid sttering everywhere, and finally leaping behind Xu Shuo.


    It seemed scorched by the intense attack, still emitting ck smoke from its body.


    Leaning on his sword, Luo Kai stood coughing violently, looking incredibly pale, his breath greatly weakened.


    "Help me¡­" he called out again.


    Xu Shuo pulled out the fruit knife from his trouser pocket, twirled it, and a sh of silver shimmered, slicing a bright line in front of the Little Ghost.


    [One-Click Kill MISS.]


    A message like this suddenly popped up in the corner.


    Xu Shuo paused, squinted slightly, and stepped forward, gripping the fruit knife firmly.


    The Little Ghost was aze with a faint blue fire, emitting ck smoke from the me, and at this moment, wounded, it was extremely ferocious, its ck tendrils ring out like spider legs.


    As he approached, the needle-sharp tendrilsshed out fiercely, clinking against the fruit knife he used to block.


    Xu Shuo stared at the twisted and grotesque Little Ghost, and an odd smile suddenly appeared on his usually calm face. He dodged the piercing attack, his figure instantly appearing beside the table, and a huge shadow loomed over the Little Ghost in the flickering mes.


    Thepartment''s walls were burning, the light casting mysterious and unpredictable shadows on the young man''s face.


    The Little Ghost froze, then its head was seized by arge hand, the fingertips dug into the fractured and stitched cheeks, forcibly lifting the Little Ghost''s face.


    Although it was ugly as sin, the feel of its flesh and blood was unexpectedly soft to the touch.


    The grimy, ashen face of the child was squashed, dark tears of blood streaming from its hollow eye sockets.


    It should have been impossible to discern any emotion, but at this moment, the Little Ghost started to tremble with a semnce of fear, even its dark, empty eyes appeared aggrieved.


    It was like before, when it had been hit, it wanted to protest but didn''t dare to.


    Xu Shuo raised the fruit knife to its chin, and with a sinister chuckle, said, "Why do you exist in this world?"


    It looked at Xu Shuo with wide eyes but did not speak.


    Something seemed to be swimming in the Little Ghost''s pitch-ck eye sockets, as if in twisting vortexes, or like the horrific stillness of the Abyss, utterly soul-shattering!


    Xu Shuo''s mind blurred for a moment, and, applying force with the fruit knife, he stabbed cleanly through the Little Ghost''s chin, prating its head, then threw it directly into the burning mes.


    A piercing, shrill scream exploded, bursting through the eardrums and reaching the brain!


    Xu Shuo frowned and rubbed his temples.


    The Little Ghost writhed and struggled in the mes, the dispersing ck fog enveloping thepartment. At this moment, Luo Kai entered, his ruby-embedded longsword quickly pinning the attempting-to-escape Little Ghost in the mes.


    The golden-red mes burned only the eerie darkness and caused no destruction to anything else in thepartment.


    Luo Kai, seeing the young man holding his head as if in pain, thought for a moment, then took out a round, red pill from his pocket and handed it over.


    "This can defend against the mental erosion of the bizarre," he said.


    "Thanks," replied Xu Shuo softly, taking it and immediately stuffing it into hisb coat. When his hand emerged again, he was holding two white pills which he put in his mouth and swallowed.


    Luo Kai was momentarily stunned, confused by the smoothness of his movements.


    So, he had his own medicine but still naturally epted the prop offered by him?


    Are you really not letting even this small thing go?!


    Xu Shuo finished his medicine and raised his chin toward the Little Ghost, still screaming in the mes, indicating: "What''s next?"


    Luo Kai looked over, then lit a cigarette and sighed, "Actually, I don''t know."


    If this were just aplex but ordinary Mutant Script, then he would have already watched the entire process from the sidelines, and the murderer would have been found; the extraction would have beenpleted as well.


    But now, the system progress was still ten percent remaining.


    "Even if there were no Mutant Scripts in this world, you shouldn''t bepletely clueless about rted matters, right?" Xu Shuo said indifferently, as he wiped the fruit knife on his whiteb coat again.


    "I think you might have a misunderstanding about our profession."


    Luo Kai hesitated for a moment, then continued: "Unlike other professions, the ''Director'' is by invitation only. You only get the chance to change professions when the Script Space actively sends out an invitation."


    Therefore, this also resulted in very few ''Director'' yers active in the Script Space, and even fewer rted strategy posts.


    Naturally, Luo Kai had searched forums for rted information, but since a certain veteran yer said, "Some worlds will not encounter Mutant Scripts," and because he had never encountered one, he really believed his world wouldn''t have them.


    This further led to Luo Kai being a high-level Director for so long, yet the highest-level script he had extracted was only second-level.


    And they were not very difficult.


    Now, the Little Ghost was trapped in the mes, but the creature itself was a strange being, and such attacks may not be enough topletely destroy it.


    Luo Kai put the cigarette in his mouth, put away his long sword, and took out several Talisman Papers.


    "I''ll try them one by one."


    Veteran yers might not have many Character Cards or other rare equipment, but it wasmon for them to have a dozen or so Holy, Purification, Sealing, Suppression, and simr props on hand.


    Because these were their lifelines for surviving in the strange scripts.


    When encountering something that feels odd, trust your intuition, hurl a few Holy abilities at it first before doing anything else, and don''t probe on your own recklessly.


    "Gurgle..."


    When Luo Kai took out the Talisman Papers, the Little Ghost, emitting blue mes and ck smoke, let out a low growl, its face of broken Flesh and Blood stained with dark blood tears, hideous and eerie.


    It looked at Xu Shuo, its pitch-ck gaze unfathomable.


    Xu Shuo was wiping the fruit knife, and, feeling something, looked up.


    He stared at the Little Ghost calmly, then suddenly chuckled: "Let''s leave this space."


    "What?"


    Luo Kai hadn''t caught on and thought he was talking to him.


    But the next moment, the burnt Little Ghost emitted a sharp and piercing screech again!


    The soul-piercing cry made people feel disoriented, and the train carriage full of filth and stench also twisted, as if a vortex was swallowing everything.


    ...


    Boom¡ª


    After a loud booming noise, Luo Kai shook and had to steady himself against the train carriage''s wall.


    Outside, the sunlight was brilliant, and the train was moving normally.


    He looked up to see a clean green train carriage, no sticky ck liquid scattered around, no broken corpses lying scattered on the floor, and no nauseating stench of decay.


    Just the strong smell of smoke.


    Luo Kai took a deep breath of second-hand smoke, then turned to look at Xu Shuo beside him and asked, his soul questioning: "Why did it pull the time back again? What did you just say to it?"


    This incident had already happened, so even if the time were reversed in this Illusory Realm, it wouldn''t do any good!


    The young man lowered his head and didn''t say a word. He was still wearing his blood-stained whiteb coat, with bright red blood spread across thepel, shaped like blood spraying out from a throat slit from the front.


    He opened hisb coat, revealing the ck handle of the knife protruding from his pocket, the shape of the fruit knife outlined by the ck trousers snug against his thigh.


    Generally, those who dare to carry a sheathless knife like this are ruthless people.


    And the young man''s current image, in this ordinary train filled with the atmosphere of life, was somewhat eerie and frightening.


    Who would wear blood-stained clothes to take a train?


    Then, he pulled out the fruit knife from his pocket, the smooth de glinting with a cold shine under the sunlight.


    It had an unsettling sense of danger to it.


    Luo Kai rubbed his arms: "Bro, what are you doing?"


    Xu Shuo looked up at him, smiled politely and warmly, then his expression became curious, and he thoroughly looked Luo Kai up and down.


    This gaze made Luo Kai''s scalp tingle.


    "You look rather pale; are you sick?" the young man suddenly asked with concern.


    For some reason, Luo Kai felt like his response might influence certain oues, like ying an RPG game where two storylines appeared before him.


    He always trusted his instincts!


    So Luo Kai shook his head seriously: "No, I''m fine, I''m just naturally pale!"


    He didn''t even lean on the carriage wall to stand anymore, straightened his thin frame, and even made his breathing sound much stronger.


    Xu Shuo looked at him again, then lifted the corners of his mouth: "I see."


    After that, he tossed the fruit knife, yed with it briefly, then turned and entered Carriage No. 13.


    That leisurely stance, as if he were strolling.


    But the blood-stained clothes, the glinting fruit knife, were really out of sync with the atmosphere of the carriage.


    The young man''s lips wore a faint smile, as if the ce was deserted, and he walked straight to seat No. 69, without a moment''s pause, his hand holding the fruit knife swung, instantly slicing the middle-aged man''s throat!


    Bright red blood sprayed out, staining the whiteb coat red again.


    Outside, Luo Kai''s face was nk with confusion.

 Chapter 144: Chapter 140: A Bit

    The people in thepartment were still chatting, with several sitting in the middle seatsughing merrily, and the noise of the young people ying cards was loud and boisterous.


    And that salesman who Luo Kai spected to be an armed policeman, hisplexion slightly changed as Xu Shuo approached, but he didn''t manage to react even as the youth slit the throat of the person opposite him with a fruit knife.


    Panic and screams immediately spread throughout thepartment, and the people around hastily ran away, with a woman who was eating sunflower seeds dragging her child along as she frantically ran out.


    However, in an instant, the passengers in the middle of thepartment were all squeezed to the sides in the chaos.


    The middle-aged man sitting in seat number sixty-nine clutched his throat, only able to make a "hehe" sound, his eyes bulging with terror and disbelief.


    "Your expression is not interesting at all," Xu Shuo said with an odd sneer, and then his voice rose in a higher pitch, "But it''s quite nice to look at~"


    Bright red blood stained the whiteb coat, also sshing onto the young man''s neck, which he wiped with his hand, lightly grazing the corner of his mouth.


    Aftering to his senses, the salesman beside him suddenly stood up and pulled out a handgun, pointing it at him: "What are you doing?!"


    "Oh? You want to shoot?"


    Xu Shuo tilted his head to look at him, then quickly stepped forward until his forehead was under the muzzle, staring at the male salesman with an evil smirk.


    "Try it, you''ll definitely like this feeling~"


    "You..." The hands of the male salesman holding the gun trembled slightly, looking at the twisted smile of the young man in front of him, he felt a chill creep from his spine to the top of his head!


    At the moment, on thepartment''s luggage racky a five or six-year-old girl, her straight short hair framing her plump cheeks, herplexion deathly pale and ashen.


    She looked down at the young man below, tilted her head, her gaze full of curiosity.


    Pushing his way through the crowd, Luo Kai walked over from behind, nced at Xu Shuo, then suddenly shifted his gaze to the luggage rack, staring at the girl who seemed like a normal human child. He put a cigarette in his mouth and pulled a card out of his pocket with his right hand.


    The little girl immediately looked over, wariness and fear visible in her eyes, as she squeezed further into the interior of the luggage rack.


    Sensing the change, Xu Shuo stopped teasing the young policeman, his forehead still against the muzzle, and turned to Luo Kai to ask, "How much is left now?"


    "Ny-nine percent," Luo Kai said, his expressionplex as he looked at him.


    "Just one left," Xu Shuo said.


    "Hey! What are you talking about? Are you together? What is your rtionship with that man?!" Suddenly, a voice burst out yelling.


    As they talked as if no one else was around, the male salesman, under immense psychological pressure and sweating profusely, aimed the shaking gun back and forth between Xu Shuo and Luo Kai.


    He didn''t seem like the old, steady detective chasing after criminals at all, and was now even more flustered due to the sudden turn of events. No wonder Luo Kai had only needed a few nces to guess his identity and that he was carrying a gun.


    Luo Kai ignored him, taking a deep drag on his cigarette, then flicked the rapidly burning butt onto the ground, his right hand switching the card for a handgun.


    Then, he abruptly turned around, his face expressionless as he pulled the trigger at the woman hiding in the back with her child!


    "Bang!"


    The bullet flew through the crowd, striking the woman''s forehead urately, sttering blood showers.


    The screams in thepartment surged again in waves.


    But the little girl lying on the luggage rack, her eyes lit up slightly, a subtle smile appeared on her pale face, and then it quickly faded away.


    At this time, the space around them began to distort once again.


    Whether it was the passengers with expressions of horror, the middle-aged man in seat sixty-nine struggling as he clutched his throat, or the young policeman with trembling hands holding a gun, they were all consumed into the swirling distortion.


    ...


    Boom¡ª¡ª


    After the tremendous roaring noise, the shaky green-skin train vanished, and the white walls of the smooth-running bullet train appeared before their eyes.


    Above the seatback in front of both of them, a neat and cute short-haired little girl sat, swinging her small legs in front of Luo Kai.


    They had left the Illusory Realm, but this little girl was still there.


    "Cough cough cough...!" Luo Kai suddenly coughed violently, drawing puzzled looks from the passenger next to him.


    "I guess your lungs are dirty again," Xu Shuo saidzily, leaning in with a smirk, "You really are sick."


    Hearing this, Luo Kai, about to say something, became agitated and covered his mouth, coughing even more fiercely.


    But at least, he didn''t feel danger this time.


    He took a deep breath to suppress the chronic lung disease caused by excessive blood loss and fatigue, then took a sip of water from the thermos he pulled out of his bag.


    Luo Kai nced at the little girl in front of him, then took out a nk card and held it out to her.


    The little girl tilted her head and looked at it, then turned to look at Xu Shuo, and after a long while, she dove reluctantly into the card.


    The nk card outlined a pattern¡ªwithin the yellow border was a diagonally-standing book, and on its cover was a green-skin train running on a viaduct, below which was the script''s name in cursive, "Green-skin Train."


    Luo Kai coughed a few times and, ignoring Xu Shuo''s previous teasing remarks, said, "The script isplete."


    Xu Shuo extended his hand, "Pay up."


    Only then did Luo Kai finally turn to look at the young man sitting beside him.


    The sunlight from outside nted through the window, making the ck hair seem to glow slightly, and the young man''s face remained soft and clear, showing no trace of aggressiveness and exuding a very approachable and friendly vibe.


    However, having just witnessed someone''s somewhat neurotic side in the Illusory Realm, Luo Kai vehemently cursed his very unreliable first impression.


    Of course, being a yer in Script Space, one can''t judge a person''s character or strength based on their appearance, even if the other is aplete newbie.


    Luo Kai stared straight at him and asked, "Before we get to that, I have a question, brother¡ªare you really just a level one yer?"


    Xu Shuo cocked his head, "A thousand points, and I''ll tell you."


    Luo Kai: "..."


    He took out a nk card from his pocket and decisively wrote off a final payment of six thousand points, then handed it to Xu Shuo.


    That was the price they had agreed upon before, plus the additional three thousand points Xu Shuo had extorted while they were in the Illusory Realm.


    It also meant Luo Kai couldn''t be bothered to pursue that question any longer.


    After confirming the amount on it, Xu Shuo put away the card with satisfaction.


    He then said, "I am indeed a level one yer, I had just joined on the day we met."


    Luo Kai''s mouth twitched, irrespective of whether he believed the answer or not, as he had a lot ofments to make but still didn''t know where to start.


    But Xu Shuo didn''t seem to be waiting for a response, continuing to ask, "Is the script finished? What''s the story about?"


    Luo Kai couldn''t help but unleash his urge to retort, "Brother, I think you should know more than I do, so there''s no need to ask me, right?"


    Xu Shuo spread his hands, "Actually, I don''t know anything. I just guessed that man might be the murderer, and I also had a hunch that the woman might be an aplice, but I really don''t know the plot."


    Listening to this, Luo Kai covered his mouth with the water bottle, and then took a long breath.


    He too wanted to know how this guy had just ''guessed'' the identity of the murderer.

 Chapter 145: Chapter 141: Theres Something Off About This Newbie!

    ```


    Luo Kai simply informed Xu Shuo about the little girl''s death, and for the rest of the journey, neither of them spoke again, even the usually chatty Luo Kai fell silent.


    It wasn''t until the high-speed train arrived in Yang City that the two disembarked.


    "Hey bro, wanna exchange contact information?" Luo Kai asked as he took out his phone after they left the station.


    Xu Shuo paused upon hearing this, then typed out his number on his phone. After Luo Kai noted it down and called, he sent his own contact information back.


    "Pleasure working with you!" Luo Kai gave a two-finger salute as a gesture of farewell, then turned and left with a swagger.


    Xu Shuo watched his figure disappear before walking towards the underground parking lot near the high-speed rail station.


    Not long after he drove away from the high-speed rail station, a sneaky figure hurriedly ran out from a corner. Luo Kai turned around and re-entered the high-speed train station.


    "Time to slip away..."


    He had already purchased a ticket to Gong City. The departure time was seamlessly connected with the previous train, and the broadcast was already announcing the final call for ticket checking and boarding. Naturally, he hastened his pace.


    It was only after he sat down on the high-speed train and it started moving that Luo Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    He set an rm for himself and then closed his eyes to enter the Script Space.


    Unlike Xu Shuo''s clean, nk space or Hong Rao''s luxurious mansion, Luo Kai''s space contained a in two-story wooden house.


    He trod up the external stairs of the house, ttering to the second floor, then threw himself onto the sofa and let out a long breath.


    Indeed, there''s no ce like home!


    After resting for a while, Luo Kai excitedly took out the Script Card he had just obtained and gave it a big kiss.


    "Level Three Assessment Script! Awesome!"


    It was the first time Luo Kai had ever drawn a Level Three script in this world since his ss change, let alone an even higher-level one for assessments!


    He wasn''t lying earlier. Since his ss change, Luo Kai had been traveling all over the world but had never encountered a Mutant Script. Intricate cases were also few and far between, which caused him to hover between Level One and Level Two scripts for a long time.


    Until this unexpected turn of events.


    The story itself was actually quite simple.


    The murderer, carrying a suitcase with a hidden corpse, boarded the train. His fellow passengers included a stray woman he threatened, an aplice who had pushed the little girl into the Abyss, an intern police officer who recklessly pursued the murderer, a passerby who had met the little girl before her death, and amon thief.


    Five yers had to y out their roles on the train, aiming to find the murderer within a limited time frame.


    Whether the train derailment was indeed caused by the little girl was no longer ascertainable, and in this script, ghosts hardly yed a role in influencing the storyline.


    The most lethal aspect was that the yers were given only about forty minutes to solve the case!


    Within forty minutes, the yers not only needed to rify their own identities but also had toplete their main tasks.


    If they failed to identify the murderer among them before the train reached the overpass, or if the murderer didn''t manage to outwit the pursuing police and disrupt the game, then the little girl would turn into a ghost, and the train would derail towards the Dark Abyss below!


    That was the entire flow of the game in this script.


    Compared to the Scripted Murder Games in the real world that couldst for six or seven hours, the time allowed for solving the case in the "Green-skin Train" script was incredibly short!


    More importantly, once the game began, the system wouldn''t tell you that you only had forty minutes, nor would it inform you about the potential train derailment.


    It all depended on the yers'' luck!


    By then, the issue wasn''t about finding the murderer anymore; it was about how to survive in the copsing Carriage Number Thirteen!


    Just like what he and Xu Shuo experienced earlier.


    Thinking of someone, Luo Kai shifted his thoughts, sat up straight, lit a cigarette, and brought up the young man''s personal information.


    "''Rainy Night Vi'' is a nanny script, huh... and then he took on ''Green-Faced Fangs''?"


    Looking at the only two scripts Xu Shuo had, Luo Kai''s expression became nk for a moment, then turned serious again: "So that guy met the upgrade criteria right after the tutorial?"


    Although it wasn''t impossible, and there were many examples among yers.


    To level up, a yer only needed to umte enough performance value to reach one thousand. Many new yers with good performance could typically level up in their second entry into an assessment script.


    ```


    As for those who performed mediocrely or slightly worse, they could also upgrade after two more scripts.


    But...


    "Something''s not quite right."


    Luo Kai stroked his chin, clicking on the first y Xu Shuo had performed to watch it, while recalling the young man''s performance on the train, and feeling an overwhelming sense of inconsistency.


    Even if a newbie performed well, after only two low-level scripts, at most they wouldn''t have more than five thousand in performance value, and everything in the system store is exorbitantly expensive.


    What''s more, he felt that Xu Shuo''s condition at that time seemed somewhat simr to after having used a certain ability.


    That kind of ability where everything from one''s temperament to their instinctual behaviors changes¡ªCharacter Card!


    Luo Kai was fairly lucky, as he had a Character Card himself.


    And after using a Character Card, it was like merging oneself with a character, creating a brand-new individual from the collision of different styles.


    For instance, Luo Kai couldn''t cook, but if he used a Character Card of someone who could, then he would just naturally be able to as well.


    The catch was that he was still in control of his body, and his will and thoughts remained his own; it was just gaining something extra¡ªlike the memory and abilities of the Character Card.


    Memory, after all, has the greatest influence on a person''s way of thinking.


    Luo Kai just felt that the aura of that person at the time was very simr.


    Otherwise, how could a rookie who just joined the game the day before yesterday fight in a way that subdued all the enemies on the train and cornered that eerie Little Ghost until it trembled in fear? It sounded incredibly far-fetched from the Script Space!


    What on earth was so special about him?!


    At this moment, "Rainy Night Vi" had already started ying, and Luo Kai nced at the character introduction at the beginning of the film, feeling even more that something was off.


    "His character is a chef?"


    An image of the young man in a white coat ying with a fruit knife shed through Luo Kai''s mind; so that blood-stained white coat... was it what the chef wore when chopping people?


    Wait, do chefs wear white coats?


    It seems like there''s something not quite right...


    ...


    ...


    In Yang City, inside a rental house located in an urban vige.


    After returning home, Xu Shuo didn''t go to the studio but chose to go home instead. After all, it was already past four in the afternoon, and since it was almost time to get off work, there was no need to go.


    He changed his clothes after he returned to his room, then casually locked the bedroom door from the inside before lying down on the bed with his eyes closed, peacefully.


    Although the yer''s Handbook specified one more day of rest, that time had already passed by noon today. It hadn''t immediately pulled Xu Shuo into the game, which meant it probably provided some additional self-selection time likest time.


    After three o''clock in the afternoon, Xu Shuo had joined the "Director''s" team to help extract a script, so the game wouldn''t have been so unreliable as to pull him away from the Illusory Realm.


    Now that he waspletely at leisure, Xu Shuo decided it was best to be proactive.


    In a pitch-ck space where he couldn''t see his hand before his face, a system panel emitting a faint blue light appeared.


    [Your mentor "Hong Rao" has selected the script "Song of the Pdin" for this game. Would you like to enter?]


    Huh? That woman had actually already arranged a script for him?


    Xu Shuo was somewhat surprised, but then remembered something and fell into thought.


    Being a Level 1 yer, the script Hong Rao prepared for him would surely also be a Level 1 script.


    And the rewards for a Level 1 script were just too low...


    Even though the two scripts he had entered before were somewhat problematic and had even broken down, the rewards wouldn''t becking!


    Having thought this through, Xu Shuo resolutely clicked the "Random" option in the system menu.

 Chapter 146: Chapter 142 "Abyss Sigh

    The clock struck midnight, ticking away the seconds.


    The chef had prepared an exquisite meal, the master was enjoying a romantic candlelight dinner, and the servants were polishing vases in the mansion.


    The melodious sound of a piano sang in the darkness, while in the attic, the pitter-patter of footsteps interwove with a requiem, dancing freely in this silent world.


    The blind girl, watching over everything, let out a mournful sigh in the darkness.


    [The Scripted Murder Game "Abyss Sigh" is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves, yers.]


    [Main task: Find the ghost hidden within the story. (Submission-based)]


    ...


    Xu Shuo opened his eyes only to find that his vision was still shrouded in darkness, so dark that he couldn''t see his own hand in front of him.


    Even when he ced his hand in front of his eyes, he couldn''t see it at all.


    For a moment, he thought he was still in that preparation space before entering the script, but then he touched his own face.


    In that space, he couldn''t touch anything.


    Xu Shuo summoned the yer''s Handbook straightforwardly, and finally a source of light appeared in the pitch-ck vision, the personal information column revealing the character he was to portray this time.


    Character: Blind girl.


    Task: Find the ghost hidden within the story. (Submission-based)


    Submission-based?


    It was Xu Shuo''s first encounter with a submission-based task in a game, but he had learned in the Script Space that in this kind of game, yers have a collective task and choose a suspect to submit to the system on their own.


    The first one to solve the case would get the highest reward.


    But the character information this time was too sparse, wasn''t it?


    Why was there just a name and a task?


    No identity information at all!


    He seemed to be sitting in a chair at the moment, Xu Shuo reached out to the side and touched something round, and judging from its thickness and length, it should be a cane.


    Or maybe, a guide cane?


    At that moment, he heard sporadic soundsing from beside him, and he could even simte the shape of sound waves after they collided in his mind.


    To his right, a hand was holding a pen, the tip touching something on the table, making a light "tap" sound.


    Following that, more and more sounds began to emerge: the grating noise of chair legs scraping across the floor, the soft thud of leather shoes hitting the ground, and a voice uttering a confused inquiry.


    These sounds seemed to ripple through the darkness, clear as ripples on water.


    Had his hearing be stronger?


    However, it was said that people who are blind usually have other senses that are very sensitive, and those with exceptional gifts could even have frighteningly keen senses.


    Like the character Xu Shuo was now embodying, he could analyze every syble he heard, using the spread of sound waves to simte a simr picture in his mind.


    It was a very nice skill.


    ...


    "Isn''t the light on?"


    Just then, someone said loudly, followed by the sound of chairs moving and footsteps.


    Before long, with a "click," the lights turned on.


    The ornate crystal chandelier on the ceiling cast light, instantly brightening the interior as several people seated around a long table squinted slightly amid the unexpected brightness.


    The man who turned on the light looked around at everyone, his gaze lingering slightly on the girl seated two seats down from the head of the table.


    While others either squinted to adjust to the brightness or shielded their eyes from the light with a raised hand, only she remained unmoved, holding a ck cane in her hand, her gaze empty and unfocused.


    She can''t see?


    The man was slightly surprised, raised an eyebrow, and then sat back down in his original seat, which was directly opposite the girl.


    The girl had double braided pigtails, a delicate and lovely face, and her skin had a slightly pale, ssy, and fragile quality to it.


    Her vacant ck eyes only heightened her sense of vulnerability.


    There were seven people seated around the long table, three on the left side, three on the right, and at the head of the table sat a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes, who looked cultured and refined.


    "I opened my eyes and found myself here, what happened, and who are you?" asked the woman sitting at the first seat on the left, frowning.


    She was dressed in a white chiffon blouse, with her hair pinned back with a butterfly clip, and she had a delicate red musical note brooch on her chest, twirling a pen in her hand.


    "I can''t remember anything, what ce is this?" the man who had turned on the light looked at everyone else.


    "Not sure, my mind''s aplete nk too," said the man wearing a chef''s outfit across the table, shaking his head.


    "Ah~ So everyone''s amnesiac?" said the girl in a tight red dress at the end of the long table, propping up her chin and speaking in a somewhat frivolous tone.


    Xu Shuo kept his head down silently, being the quiet handsome man, and quietly listened to this group perform their y.


    This time''s script probably only afforded everyone a name and a mission, what they could bring to life was entirely up to them.


    Moreover, it was not certain whether everyone here was a yer, nor whether there might be NPCs mixed in.


    More importantly, among these seven people, one was a specter!


    ...


    After someone started the conversation, a few of them began to discuss their current situation, and the only information they could ess was the props beside them.


    The man in the suit at the head of the table might be the owner of the vi, with a stack of exquisite strawberry pastries on the table in front of him.


    He imed to be awyer ording to his own words.


    The woman holding the pen dered herself to be a writer.


    On the table in front of her, there were several sheets of bound manuscript paper with half-written stories that tended towards urban romance.


    The man sitting opposite her was plump and had a smile like a Maitreya Buddha, seemingly the vi''s chef, with traces of strawberry jam on his chef''s attire.


    Next to the chef, wearing a ck tailcoat and sporting shoulder-length parted hair, was a man.


    He was the one who had gone to turn on the light.


    The man seemed to emanate a mncholic artistic aura; his identity was a pianist, and he was holding a piece of sheet music in his hand.


    A pianist?


    Upon hearing this identity, the young man sitting at the end of the right side instinctively nced at the female writer, the red musical note brooch on her blouse glistening elegantly under the light.


    He professed to be a servant, currently dressed in a dark red vest ensemble and holding a damp cloth¡ªthat he seemed to have been using to clean with moments before.


    The manservant withdrew his gaze from the writer, and after setting the cloth down, his hand naturally brushed against something in his trouser pocket.


    He paused so subtly it was almost imperceptible, feeling the outlines of the object in his pocket and determining it was a gun.


    Moreover, it felt more slender and delicate than a standard pistol, reminiscent of a revolver.


    Then, the manservant crossed his legs nonchntly, using the tilted posture to subtly conceal the outline in his trouser pocket.


    At this moment, the girl in the red dress sitting at the end of the right side leaned on her hand, her smile abounding as she spoke, "It seems I''m a dancer, maybe I''m here for a ball?"


    As she said this, her gazended on the young girl with braided pigtails above her, her eyes filled with fascination.


    "This little sister, seems like she can''t see?"

 Chapter 147: Chapter 143 The Entire Crime Scene

    A girl around fifteen or sixteen years old, blind, with a paleplexion and a frail figure, was mingled among these people, looking truly weak, pitiable, helpless, and innocent.


    However, her identity almost cried out in everyone''s minds¡ªthe blind girl who had "seen" everything!


    When the game began, the introduction to the script was not just for show; the core secret of the entire script was basically hidden within it!


    The cook making food, the master of the house having a candlelit dinner, the housekeeper cleaning up, the pianist ying the piano, the dancer dancing, and finally the blind girl.


    The identities of those present mostly corresponded to those described in the introduction to the script.


    The only thing that left the group guessing was that eating a romantic candlelit dinner alone isn''t romantic, so perhaps the female writer who wasn''t mentioned in the introduction was thedy of the house?


    "Are you husband and wife?" the dancer asked, tilting her head.


    "This... I can''t remember either," the female writer said, holding her chin in thought, and hesitated.


    "It seems we''ll have to find some clues here on our own and hope we can recall something when the timees," the pianist said with a wry smile and shook his head.


    "I''ll go out and take a look."


    The male servant who camest said as he stood up, his palm hanging down to his side, striding toward the door and pulling it open.


    The ce they were in appeared to be a dining room,vishly decorated, with a beautiful and delicate chandelier overhead, but the vast room was empty save for a long table.


    The male servant opened the door, and the darkness outside was pitch ck.


    Using the light spilling from the dining room, he cautiously avoided obstacles, moving along the wall; as he passed the cab, his right hand raised and ced something on top of it.


    Following that, he found the light switch and pressed it.


    The light zed on, and what met his eyes was a chaotically disarrayed mansion''s hall.


    The entire mansion was practically a crime scene!


    The ring blood was scattered everywhere, the manuscript papers that had been on the table were now fluttering and scattered everywhere, a stack askew by the edge of the coffee table, and several bloodstained sheetsy around the living room.


    By the mansion''s main door was arge pool of blood, the scattered pattern indicating the copious amount of blood shed at the time, with a sliding bloody handprint on the golden door panel.


    "Hiss... what on earth happened here?!"


    Those who followed after him and stepped outside gasped in shock at the sight before them.


    There was also a pool of blood underneath the spiral staircase leading to the second floor of the mansion, and on the ground leading from the dining room to the kitchen, blood trailed all the way to the door, dragging out sharp stains on the floor.


    The female writer who stepped out frowned, taking a nted step, carefully avoiding the bloodstain at the door.


    She went up to the coffee table, picked up a few scattered pages, and looked at them.


    The pianist and others stepped out one after another, surveying the condition inside the mansion with amazement, with the dancer bringing up the rear, peeking outside for a moment before turning back to look inside the dining room.


    Xu Shuo, ying the role of a blind person for the first time, had just stood up somewhat unsteadily while everyone else was freely moving about; he picked up his cane and cautiously tapped the ground in front of him.


    "Pfft..."


    Suddenly, augh came from beside him.


    Xu Shuo turned his head abruptly, his focus-less ck pupils staring forward, his lifeless eyes lending his calm face a bewildered effect.


    By the sound of it, it was the dancer, but when had shee closer?


    Then, a pair of somewhat cold hands were ced on his arm.


    "I''ll help you out," the dancer said with augh. "Actually, it''s quite good that you can''t see right now. The unbelievable scene outside is rather shocking to the senses."


    "What happened outside?" Xu Shuo didn''t refuse her support and asked in a low voice as they walked.


    "It looks like the vi was robbed, what a mess; and judging by the amount of blood, someone must have died."


    The dancer helped him out and also guided Xu Shuo to step diagonally to avoid the blood at the door, circling to the living room sofa where she then pressed him down onto the sofa.


    Xu Shuo took the opportunity to sit, cing his cane on his knee and continued to ask in a soft voice, "So, have they found the body?"


    The girl''s braids hung in front of her chest, she wore a doll-cored dress the color of young grass, her figure slender and frail, herplexion pale, and her unfocused eyes revealed a sense of bewilderment and helplessness that involuntarily inspired pity.


    The dancer tilted her head to examine the girl''s delicate features closely, then stretched out a finger to poke the girl''s soft cheek.


    Xu Shuo instinctively shrank back, looking up in some surprise.


    "Oh dear, my apologies~"


    The dancerughed a few times without any real sense of remorse and said, "The body hasn''t been found yet, but those people are checking the vi."


    Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo bowed his head and responded softly.


    Compared to the other yers or NPCs with normal senses, Xu Shuo''s character had far too great a disadvantage!


    Beingpletely blind, he couldn''t get information by observing the scene, while the other yers were not limited in this way and were likely to find clues much faster than he could.


    It was said that the rewards for submission-style tasks were distributed based on the yers'' rankings inpleting the tasks.


    ...


    The dancer casually described the vi''s situation beside him and then excused herself to look for her own memories, turning to leave.


    Xu Shuo quietly sat on the sofa, picking up his cane and letting the tip fall to the ground, lightly tapping it intermittently.


    Tap¡ª


    The sound waves spread out, breaking when they hit obstacles, the rippling echoes outlining the approximate contours of the obstacles.


    Xu Shuo took note of the positions of the obstacles and graduallypleted the mapping of the living room in his mind.


    Beyond that, he couldn''t get any more information¡ªthe position of the bloodstains on the ground were all ryed by the dancer, and he didn''t even know if they were correct.


    So, after sitting for a while, Xu Shuo got up, leaning on his cane and leaving the range of the sofa, groping his way forward.


    "With so much blood in the kitchen, and those stains in the living room, there must have been more than one person, right?"


    "At least three people are dead."


    "Hiss... Was this kitchen knife used to kill someone?"


    "That''s strawberry jam."


    Clear voices came from the direction of the kitchen.


    But in fact, Xu Shuo was standing some distance from there, beneath the spiral staircase, listening intently.


    The diffuse voices even sketched out the outlines of the two people.


    The speakers were the chef and the pianist¡ªas the blood trail leading to the dining room was too shocking, the chef decided to check his own territory first, with the curious pianist following close behind.


    The chaos in the kitchen was no less than that in the living room, with undried blood on both the sink and countertop, emitting a pungent stench.


    "We have no idea what happened here, should we just call the police?" suddenly, the anxious pianist suggested.


    "..."


    No sound came from the other side; presumably, there was silence, but as to the nature of that silence, Xu Shuo couldn''t tell.


    He smiled silently to himself and began to walk up the staircase, holding onto the handrail.


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