Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 45

[Please note, each person can only draw one card, and each person has only one chance. If you are not satisfied with the card result, you are not allowed to return the card to the black box and draw another one.]

[Violators will die instantly.]

These two lines of messages blinked for a few seconds before disappearing.

Because of this, Zhou Qian, who was skilled in gambling and good at playing cards, had to temporarily abandon his plan to hide the cards.

Zhou Qian was now standing by a desk, the closest to the black box. He walked up directly and became the first person to draw a card.

After drawing and looking at the card, in the center was a simple number—”24″.

But this number wasn’t directly printed on it; it seemed to be some kind of electronic display.

According to the system, this would be his life points. But what these points meant, Zhou Qian didn’t know yet, so he quickly put the card into his bag.

The other six players exchanged glances and then approached to draw cards in turn.

After this, the system didn’t give any new instructions, and for a moment, the players seemed unsure of what to do.

The first to make a move was the average faced Li Buhui. He went straight to the door, put his hand on the doorknob, and tried to open it.

“I think you all are being too cautious. Unless it’s an instance where you have to fight monsters right away, in decryption-related games, no matter how hard, players need information to play. So, there is no risk of unexplained death at the beginning.”

“Even if this instance has something to do with witches, it’s not a big deal. The finger and hair we saw just now are probably related to witchcraft, right? But both Jiujiu and I touched them, and we’re fine!”

After saying this, Li Buhui tried to turn the doorknob.

But he obviously couldn’t.

“Sss… It doesn’t seem to be stuck, nor does it look locked.”

“It’s strange. Why can’t it be opened…”

The next moment, Li Buhui found the reason.

When he tried to turn the doorknob, another force was turning it in the opposite direction.

So he couldn’t turn the doorknob at all!

“This… This door is very strange.”

Just as Li Buhui said this, he heard Yin Jiujiu’s deep, warning-filled voice. “Watch out, above you—”

Above?

What’s above me?

Before Li Buhui could ask, he saw a strand of wavy brown hair dangling in front of him.

With a shiver in his heart, he suddenly looked up and saw a pale face.

Li Buhui wasn’t easily scared, but he was taken aback by this, letting go of the doorknob and sitting down on the ground.

A semi-transparent figure in a skirt appeared before him. It was clearly the ghost of a little girl. She had a pale face, green eyes, and obvious freckles on her cheeks. Her legs were suspended in mid-air, and she hung upside down, looking at Li Buhui.

Seeing his reaction, the little girl smiled and then hugged his neck, whispering in his ear, “You can’t leave yet. Unless… you find the one who killed me.”

As her words faded, the little girl disappeared.

At this moment, everyone received a notification—

[Player Li Buhui was touched by “?”, losing 2 life points.]

[Players can discover the identity of “?” through exploration.]

Seeing this, Qi Liuxing took Ke Yuxiao to Zhou Qian’s side, giving him a sincere thumbs-up, and whispered, “I initially wanted to ask you if there would be unexplained death risks at the start of the game, which has always been your viewpoint. I didn’t expect… luckily, you stopped me.”

Zhou Qian whispered back, “Whether having more life points is better or having fewer is still uncertain. After all, we don’t know what they really mean. Sometimes… having more isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

Zhou Qian didn’t expect his words to be proven so quickly.

The system soon released new rules.

[Main Quest Triggered: Find a way out of this room.]

[Hint: Please explore as much as possible; clues from the study room are crucial for subsequent progress.]

[Announcing rules related to life points. Please listen carefully.]

[One life point corresponds to one hour of survival in the instance; the countdown starts now.]

In a place where no one could see, Zhou Qian took out his card to check.

The display no longer showed just “24”.

Below the number “24”, a countdown display appeared, showing [59:59].

It seemed that this countdown was calculated by the hour. Meaning, after 59 minutes and 59 seconds, the “24” in the middle of Zhou Qian’s card would turn into “23”.

The system continued to send rules.

[Skills and items related to copying, stealing, and robbing are ineffective on the cards that record life points.]

[The only way to snatch someone’s card is to kill the corresponding player.]

Upon reading this, a chill went down everyone’s spine.

The system messages continued—

[The highest life points one can have is 24, corresponding to 24 hours of survival.]

[The current ranking of seven players by life points, from highest to lowest, is as follows: 1^st Zhou Qian; 2^nd Li Buhui; 3^rd Qi Liuxing; 4^th Yin Jiujiu; 5^th Ke Yuxiao; 6^th Situ Qing; 7^th Wu Ren.]

[The system loves peace; to prevent players from killing each other, there are restrictions on player behavior.]

[Players with higher points killing those with lower points will not get the corresponding card. For example, Zhou Qian, you’re already so fortunate to have so many points. Why would you still want to kill? The system does not allow this behavior.]

Lucky? Lucky my ass.

Having a high number of points indeed allowed Zhou Qian to survive for a longer time, but it also made him the target of everyone else!

If one considered players with lower points as hunters, Zhou Qian was now like a sheep, out in the open, ready to be hunted down!

Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao exchanged glances, and both took out a sword and a flute, respectively, standing guard in front of Zhou Qian.

The system rules continued—

[Players with lower points can kill those with higher points to obtain their card and life points. However, doing so will result in a penalty: your mana will be completely drained for an hour, and all mana recovery items will be ineffective during this time.]

[Lastly, cards can be gifted. But if you only have one card and you gift it, your life points will be drained, resulting in immediate death.]

[Tips: 1. There are many hidden plots within the dungeon map. Exploring can not only find ways to complete the dungeon but also increase your life points.]

[2. It’s not recommended to kill teammates at the start of the game. It’s better to work together. After all, having too many points may not be a good thing—]

[The mayor of the town enjoys playing 24-point games, and the last survivors whose points add up to 24 may win the ultimate victory!]

Zhou Qian stood by the desk, glancing at the other players. Most were looking at their wristwatches, probably reviewing the system’s messages to better understand the game rules.

Just then, Zhou Qian sensed something and turned his gaze. He locked eyes with Wu Ren, the player currently ranked last in life points. Known as the Rain Man, Wu Ren specialized in assassination with hidden weapons. Zhou Qian couldn’t let his guard down.

The atmosphere became tense as Wu Ren looked at Zhou Qian with dark, narrow eyes.

Zhou Qian smiled. “You’re not thinking of attacking me, are you?”

Wu Ren didn’t speak but continued to glare at Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian added, “According to the rules, if I kill you, I won’t gain anything—no card, no benefits. So, it would be pointless for me to attack you. Likewise, it would be pointless for you to kill me. If you do, you won’t be able to use your skills for an hour, making you vulnerable to others.”

“Wu Ren, in your eyes, I may be the ‘lamb’ waiting to be slaughtered right now, but my mana is still full. I can still put up a fight with you. So, in reality, you might not be able to kill me.”

“Even if you do manage to kill me by chance and get my card, your life points will increase, making you the number one lamb to be slaughtered. By then, you will lose an hour of mana. You, as the ‘lamb’, will truly be at the mercy of others.”

“Besides, don’t forget, our primary task now is to explore the storyline and leave this room.”

“You’re a smart person; there’s no need for you to kill me, right?”

The next moment, Rain Man Wu Ren narrowed his eyes.

His eyes were already small, making it look like they were almost invisible.

But the gloomy aura in his eyes showed through, sending shivers down the spine.

He said, “Indeed, I don’t need to kill you right now. Let’s explore first. But—”

He smirked, staring into Zhou Qian’s eyes. “What you just said wasn’t explaining the rules. Me killing you, losing my mana, becoming number one, getting into danger… anyone with half a brain can figure that out.”

“So of course, I won’t kill you. But…”

“The system didn’t mention what happens if we kill you at the same time, did it?

“If all of us kill you simultaneously, maybe we can split your life points. If all of us are involved and our mana is depleted, then no one will have to fear anyone else. Right?”

Zhou Qian smirked. “Ooo… You make it sound like I should be terrified. But—”

“The system didn’t announce such a rule. So you can’t guarantee that teaming up means you can split my life points. Even if multiple people kill one, only the person who deals the killing blow might get the card. Firstly, you’ll just be free labor. Secondly—”

“I led the team in. At most, you can team up with two others. It’s a four vs three situation. Worst case scenario, it’s a mutual loss.”

“The game just started. Do you really want to play it this way? Do you think with only two or three people left, you can get out of this instance? Remember, the ultimate goal is to total 24 points. The specific ‘combination method’ hasn’t been announced by the system. Thirdly—”

Wu Ren seemed taken aback, not expecting a “thirdly”.

He then saw Zhou Qian, smiling pleasantly, walk right up to the doorknob. “Thirdly, how do you know I won’t ask that little girl to hold onto me more?”

With a genuinely happy, even somewhat naive look, Zhou Qian said to Wu Ren, “Maybe if she holds onto me a bit more, I won’t be number one anymore. Is it meaningful for you to make an enemy out of me now? Maybe we’ll be allies soon!”

Wu Ren: “…………”

“The rankings can change at any time, and alliances might be unstable. Instead of harboring resentment against each other now… how about we explore? What do you think?”

Zhou Qian smiled faintly and turned towards the bookshelves.

At that moment, his watch vibrated.

When he checked, it was a message from his gambler and his primary doctor, Li Xuehai—

[Be especially wary of those ranked in even positions, like Yin Jiujiu, Situ Qing, and Li Buhui.]

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