Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 81
The car was long gone, and the villa on the mountaintop returned to its tranquility, with only the gentle rustling of the wind and the chirping of insects hidden in the grasses.
Zhou Qian watched silently as Bai Zhou approached. He turned towards the direction of the door upon hearing something—Ruan Mei stood there, fixated on the direction where the driver’s car had departed.
Due to the angle and distance, Zhou Qian couldn’t make out her expression, but he noticed her right hand gripping the door frame so hard that her knuckles seemed to deform.
Soon, Ruan Mei made a move, walking towards the four “children” in the front yard. By the time she reached them, her expression was again kind and gentle. Ruan Mei asked, “Would you all like some milk? The milk at Auntie’s home isn’t the brand you usually drink. Should I buy some for you?”
Standing at the forefront, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou noticed the kids didn’t answer. Ruan Mei then approached Ke Si and Ke Shi. Both had unwittingly joined the legion and the instance, and now they were confronted with a killer. They just nodded along to whatever she said. Both replied in unison, “Yes, we… We’ll drink it.”
“Good. There’s a supermarket just down the hill. It’s not far,” Ruan Mei smiled. “Stay put and go to bed early. Wait patiently for me to return.”
With that, she took out her car keys, started another vehicle, and drove away.
Watching another car depart, Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and said with a slightly heavier tone, “If Ke Er and Ke San were good people, I might have given them some advice to help them out. But not only did they want me dead, they also committed numerous misdeeds. Especially that Ke Er, who blatantly admitted to his wrongdoings.”
Mid-speech, Zhou Qian turned to Bai Zhou, only to find him peeling another orange.
Catching Zhou Qian’s gaze, Bai Zhou looked up at him. The expression on his face seemed to say, “Whatever game you want to play, I’ll go along with it.”
Seeing this, Zhou Qian’s imagination painted a vivid scene—
The world was at its end, with corpses and rivers of blood everywhere. Bai Zhou had just swung a blade, slashing through zombies or some other creatures, with blood still smeared across his face. Even in such dire circumstances, without wiping off the blood, he calmly and coldly peeled an orange. Then, with a gentle demeanor, he offered the orange, asking if Zhou Qian wanted a piece.
Indeed, Bai Zhou had a streak of madness—the kind that was hard to detect.
Caught up in his thoughts, Zhou Qian was interrupted by Bai Zhou asking, “Do you want more oranges?”
Zhou Qian wanted to point out how sour the orange was, almost unable to keep a straight face when trying to deceive Ke Er earlier. But rethinking it, he opened his hand, accepting the half orange Bai Zhou offered.
“Reciprocity is a virtue,” Zhou Qian said as he broke off a segment of the orange, removed the white pith, and handed it back to Bai Zhou.
Bai Zhou glanced at Zhou Qian and decisively accepted the orange, eating it, and immediately furrowed his brows.
Seeing his reaction, Zhou Qian laughed, teasing him, “A bit too sour for your taste, huh?”
Bai Zhou chewed the orange for a few moments before swallowing it. He then looked deeply into Zhou Qian’s eyes, playfully tucking a strand of hair behind Zhou Qian’s ear. With a hint of amusement, Bai Zhou succinctly responded, “No, it’s quite sweet.”
For a moment, Zhou Qian, a person who always seemed to have a quick retort, was taken aback.
He swiftly turned around, showing his back to Bai Zhou. In doing so, Bai Zhou couldn’t see Zhou Qian’s expression but could only see the small, shimmering earring on Zhou Qian’s earlobe, illuminated by the moonlight. It was part of Zhou Qian’s attire in this expansive instance. Once he left Blue Harbor City, those earrings would disappear.
Bai Zhou didn’t realize that at this moment, Zhou Qian’s mind was swiftly processing a series of numbers.
Zhou Qian had always been intelligent from a young age. He learned early on to read the room and understood the intricacies of human relationships. Mature beyond his years during his middle school period, he had long noticed that his relationship with Bai Zhou had surpassed that of ordinary classmates, friends, or even brothers.
If one had to describe it, there was just a thin veil separating them from acknowledging the true nature of their relationship. While at times Zhou Qian felt this veil might be a bit thicker, the general sentiment remained the same.
However, due to some qualities in Bai Zhou that Zhou Qian never quite understood, he maintained about a 30% uncertainty about their relationship during their middle school years.
Seven years ago, when Bai Zhou disappeared without a word, Zhou Qian’s uncertainty spiked to 200%.
It wasn’t until a particular game, guided by intuition and cautious probing, that Zhou Qian managed to corner Bai Zhou, gradually reducing his uncertainty to 90%.
Fast forward to today.
Under the guise of acting, Zhou Qian subtly tested the waters with Bai Zhou. There were moments when he felt as if he had been transported back to their middle school days, when he was utterly capricious and uninhibited in front of Bai Zhou.
In one’s youth, feelings of love and hate were pure and straightforward.
However, as they grew older, things became more complicated, especially after a seven-year separation. Zhou Qian realized he had learned to exercise restraint.
Before meeting Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian had contemplated numerous ways to confront him, determined to force out all the secrets Bai Zhou was hiding.
But the moment Bai Zhou allowed him to ask anything, standing by the sea and catching a glimpse of the look in Bai Zhou’s eyes, Zhou Qian found himself at a loss for words. He felt that pressing further would distress Bai Zhou.
Caught in the peculiar setting of the game, navigating their complex, indescribable relationship, Zhou Qian endeavored to simplify matters.
After spending a day together and reflecting on their shared memories, he adjusted the uncertainty in his mind to 80%.
Lastly, Bai Zhou was never one for flowery words.
When he spoke, it was always sincere and from the heart. So, when he commented on how sweet the orange was, Zhou Qian felt that he could reduce the number further, perhaps to 70%.
No, that might be too much of a leap. Maybe 72.9% was more accurate. That number seemed just about right.
All these thoughts flashed through Zhou Qian’s mind in the span of a couple of seconds. He quickly squatted down, picking up the orange slices he had theatrically discarded earlier, and tossed them into a nearby trash bin.
Without looking back, he walked towards the villa, calling out to Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, let’s discuss how to deal with Ruan Mei.”
Meanwhile, having watched Ruan Mei drive away, Ke Si and Ke Shi were a bit perplexed.
After a brief discussion, they approached the villa entrance. Predictably, they received another notification from the game system and returned in despair.
After whispering a few words to each other, they entered the house and approached Zhou Qian. Their faces were pale, clearly shaken by Zhou Qian’s previous performance, which had made them believe their lives were in grave danger.
“What’s our situation now? What should we do?”
“Are we going to die tonight?”
“Ke Er and Ke San betrayed us! They’re not our brothers!”
“Yes! We’ll follow you, for real!”
Zhou Qian, while listening, assessed the duo. He had suspected a trap when he saw the driver hand over the car keys to Ruan Mei earlier in the day. So, his declaration of leaving the villa with the driver was a ruse to test the loyalties of these four wallflowers.
He had already caught Ke Er and Ke San exchanging meaningful glances multiple times, clearly communicating on some private channel.
With his test, Zhou Qian confirmed his suspicions. Considering Ke Er and Ke San had admitted to committing multiple murders, Zhou Qian allowed them to walk into the trap without any warning.
It was likely that Ke Er and Ke San were doomed, but as for Ke Si and Ke Shi, even if they had intentions of betrayal, they lacked the intelligence to execute it. For the time being, it appeared they would obediently follow orders, making them useful tools.
To leverage their assistance, Zhou Qian needed them calm and composed.
“Relax,” he reassured. “The ones who’ll end up dead are Ke Er and Ke San.”
Both Ke Si and Ke Shi looked puzzled.
Zhou Qian continued, “Do you remember the last two exhibit rooms in Hall A and the condition of the deceased inside?”
Seemingly recalling the gruesome fate of those two children, both Ke Si and Ke Shi shuddered involuntarily.
Zhou Qian continued, “I never fully understood the exact nature of the ‘accident’ that caused their deaths. But this afternoon, after discovering an extra car and realizing that it was intended for Ruan Mei, I pieced it together.”
“You must have heard of such news stories—”
“Parents go shopping and accidentally lock their children in the car, leading to the kids suffocating to death inside.”
“The two children, a boy and a girl, both had damp hair and damp clothes. However, the dampness wasn’t so pronounced as if they had been submerged in water; they didn’t die from drowning. The moisture on them was sweat.”
“Especially the boy—not only was he sweating profusely, but he also had a nosebleed, and his face was eerily flushed. Why? From the heat, of course.”
“Imagine a car parked under the scorching midday sun. Adults step out, leaving the child locked inside. Within an hour, the temperature inside the car can soar. Once it reaches 42 degrees, it’s lethal. That’s how the boy died.”
Upon hearing this, Ke Shi’s teeth chattered in fear. He asked, “I remember the girl had many scratch marks on her. What happened to her? She didn’t have a nosebleed, did she?”
Zhou Qian replied, “Both children were likely locked in the car when they died. The boy succumbed to the intense heat from the sun. As for the girl… she most likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“When Ruan Mei left her car earlier, she didn’t turn off the air conditioner. The incomplete combustion of the engine releases increasing concentrations of carbon monoxide, leading to the girl’s poisoning. Trapped inside the car, unable to escape, she would have felt extreme discomfort and might even have hallucinated due to oxygen deprivation, which could explain her scratching herself.”
Glancing outside, Zhou Qian continued, “This afternoon, both the driver and his friend arrived in separate cars. When the driver’s friend handed the car keys to Ruan Mei, I heard her thank him for lending her the car. The car driven by the driver belongs to Ke Yun’s family. So, neither car belongs to Ruan Mei. Why did she borrow one? Considering the evidence from the exhibition hall, it was to commit murder.”
Pausing for a moment, Zhou Qian added, “In reality, Ruan Mei probably killed one child at a time over a period. Since the deaths could all be passed off as accidents, she remained uncaught for a long time.”
“But in this game, with only three days and the plot confined to this remote villa, her aim in the game is to kill all of us. So—”
“Even if we don’t voice our intentions to leave tonight, she might forcibly take a few kids under the pretext of ‘going to the supermarket at the foothills’, and then use the car to kill them.”
“And if we do decide to leave, she’ll likely chase after us. In that scenario, those who decide to leave will be in even graver danger.”
“It’s nighttime now. The driver and his friend will come to retrieve the cars in the morning, which means Ruan Mei can only act tonight.”
“Lastly, the method of using the sun’s heat won’t be applicable at night. So, the way Ruan Mei would deal with Ke Er and Ke San would likely be by leaving them in a car with the air conditioner on.”
It took Ke Si and Ke Shi a full three minutes to process the information, after which they broke out in cold sweats from fear. It was at this moment that they truly grasped the cunning of Zhou Qian.
All this time, everything was according to his calculations.
From another perspective, if Ke Er and Ke San did die, they likely perished due to Zhou Qian’s scheming!
Seeing the fear evident in their expressions, Zhou Qian offered a reassuring smile and said, “Don’t panic. Actually, if Ke Er wasn’t malicious, I would have warned him. Unfortunately, he seemed eager to meet his fate.”
After a moment, Ke Si, swallowing hard, asked Zhou Qian, “Are you absolutely certain about all this?”
“Well, not entirely,” Zhou Qian replied. “However, if players leave with an NPC, the probability of them being pursued and subsequently killed by Ruan Mei is likely above 80%. After Ruan Mei makes such a move, it would take her at least two hours to return, and she might even spend the entire night outside.”
He continued, “So, if we use this time to prepare thoroughly, our chances of survival are at least 50%.”
At this point, Zhou Qian noticed that instead of being comforted, Ke Si and Ke Shi seemed even more terrified.
They were initially only afraid of Ruan Mei, but now they seemed to fear Zhou Qian as well.
Seeing this, Zhou Qian quickly offered an innocent smile. “Don’t be scared. As long as you two stay honest and upright, I won’t harm you. If you follow my lead, you will undoubtedly survive.”
Emphasizing his point seriously, Zhou Qian corrected, “Let me amend my earlier statement. Our survival rate isn’t 50%, it’s 100%.”
……
On the other side,
The driver drove the car down the mountain. His friend dozed off in the passenger seat. The cook, sitting in the back seat, tried to strike up a conversation with the two “children”. However, when they ignored her, she felt a bit awkward and started dozing off as well.
Among the players, Ke San completely relaxed and fell asleep.
Ke Er, on the other hand, was very alert. Sitting by the window, he looked out into the pitch-dark night, his eyes filled with a faint sense of unease.
Suddenly, Ke Er felt a vibration on his wrist, signaling a message from his gambler.
After a player reached Rank S, their initial low-tier gambler was also promoted to a high-tier gambler. At the same time, these gamblers were given a chance to choose a new player. Initially, they could only stick with the player they first chose, but upon promotion, they could observe all the new players’ data and videos in the virtual game hall. The system then gave them some time to decide if they wanted to switch players.
Ke Er’s initial gambler had indeed left him, and it was unknown whom he had chosen next. But somehow, Ke Er caught the attention of another high-tier gambler.
This gambler saw potential in him. After a few collaborations, Ke Er found him to be reliable.
The message from the gambler read: [I went to the virtual game hall today and reviewed Zhou Qian’s past gameplay videos. I discovered he cheats, and he’s very good at it!]
Reading this, Ke Er hesitated but did not act immediately. Earlier in the courtyard, when they played the “Joker card game”, from the way Zhou Qian shuffled, Ke Er could tell he was good at card games. Moreover, Zhou Qian’s sudden desire to eat an orange seemed very suspicious, leading Ke Er to suspect Zhou Qian was manipulating the cards.
Ke Er saw everything, including how Zhou Qian tried to control the game by handling the two jokers. However, he didn’t point it out because he believed his skills were superior.
During the card drawing process, Ke Er noticed Zhou Qian discreetly drawing extra cards and then subtly returning them. Unfortunately for Zhou Qian, his reactions weren’t as fast as Ke Er’s. Through several maneuvers, Ke Er successfully managed to secure both jokers for himself.
Both Zhou Qian and Ke Er wanted to cheat, and both knew it. Zhou Qian, being outmatched, became frustrated, and even turned on his excessively close “brother”…
All of these moves seemed genuine and logically sound. Plus, it did seem like a good idea to leave the villa with an NPC…
Ke Er pondered for a long time but couldn’t identify any flaws. Why then did he feel uneasy?
At that moment, Ke Er saw more messages from his gambler, emphasizing Zhou Qian’s skills and urging him to trust his instincts and escape from the car.
At that moment, Ke Er received several new messages from his gambler:
[I’ve studied tricks like cheating extensively. In one of Zhou Qian’s previous games, he executed an impressive cheat. I’ve watched it multiple times, but I can’t spot any flaws.]
[Zhou Qian’s real card handling speed might be incredibly fast—so fast that my eyes can’t detect it. Thus, when you drew the joker earlier, it wasn’t because your skills surpassed his, but because he intentionally let you.]
[Wen Bin, your talent is the ‘Sixth Sense’, and intuition is crucial in this game. No matter what, trust your gut. Jump out of the car! Leave!]
Hesitating under the name “Ke Er”, Wen Bin finally decided to jump out of the car after being persuaded by the gambler.
He tried waking up Ke San with a nudge. Having been frightened the previous night and having not rested during the day, Ke San was extremely exhausted. At that moment, barely able to open his eyes, he gave a lazy yawn and looked at Ke Er, asking, “What’s wrong?”
After posing the question, Ke San immediately drifted back to sleep, and despite Wen Bin’s multiple attempts, he couldn’t rouse him.
Just then, Wen Bin noticed bright lights reflecting in the rearview mirror—it was the headlights of a car approaching from behind. Realizing it was Ruan Mei, panic set in.
Despite his attempts to wake Ke San again, he had to abandon his efforts. Quickly opening the car door, Wen Bin shielded his head with his arms and rolled out of the moving car.
Driving on the mountain road at night, the driver’s speed wasn’t very fast, so Wen Bin’s decision to jump out didn’t pose a life-threatening danger. However, the fall was quite rough.
He crashed hard onto the ground, rolling off the road and into the nearby woods. His injuries weren’t minor. Fortunately, the way he fell meant only slight abrasions to his head, and there were no severe injuries like broken bones in his limbs.
After sitting on the ground and resting for a while, once the stars stopped swirling in front of his eyes, he got up and walked to the roadside. Using the trees and the cover of night to hide, he looked towards the road. Observing what was happening, Wen Bin’s expression became more and more grave.
On the road, Ruan Mei had been chasing them in her car. After flashing her car’s hazard lights a few times, the driver of the car ahead understood and slowed down, pulling over to the side.
Seeing this, Ruan Mei also stopped her car. She then got out and went over to speak to the driver, saying, “I’m sorry, but after much thought, I’m still not at ease. If the children want to go down the mountain… I’d rather personally take them home.”
“But isn’t that too much work for you?” the driver asked, concerned.
“Don’t worry, I had a long nap in the car this afternoon. I’m okay. After dropping the children home, I’ll return to the mountain to check on the others,” Ruan Mei replied with a smile. But when she glanced into the back seat and saw only one person, her smile stiffened.
After a brief pause, her voice softened. “Child, get out of the car, say goodbye to the uncles and aunties, and come to mommy’s car. We’ll first go to the supermarket to buy some milk, and then mommy will take you home.”
In the back seat, Ke San, who was still half asleep, felt a vibration on his wrist.
Instinctively, he opened his eyes and, without fully comprehending the situation, saw a system notification:
[The key item determining NPC behavior for this instance: Car.]
[The car can be used as a murder weapon. The player is about to sit alone in the car, and Ruan Mei is about to drive without any witnesses present. The verdict is: Potential for murder can be triggered.]
[Ruan Mei is about to kill “Ke San”.]
[The verdict is immediately effective.]
……
Moments later, from within the small woods, Wen Bin, who was hiding, watched in horror as Ruan Mei carried “Ke San”, who was unable to resist due to system limitations, to another car parked behind. The vehicle with three NPCs quickly drove off the mountain road. After a while, Ruan Mei drove off the mountain road with “Ke San”.
Wen Bin’s eyes reddened.
There were many calculations and deceits in this game. Only Ke San had always been genuine with him, and he knew it. He had also sworn to himself to treat Ke San sincerely and be with him all the way. But now that Ruan Mei had caught up, he couldn’t guarantee that he could escape with a sleeping Ke San without being discovered.
He had no choice but to abandon him.
The pain and guilt were too much for him to bear alone. He transformed it into resentment towards Zhou Qian. Gritting his teeth, Wen Bin vowed to avenge Ke San.
After catching his breath, Wen Bin stepped out of the woods, trying to head down the mountain. However, he received a system message:
[Warning! Interaction with NPCs can expand the plot range. But now, since player Wen Bin has lost interaction with NPCs and has significantly deviated from the designated plot area, he has five minutes to return, or he will face direct death.]
Seeing this, Wen Bin immediately pulled out a pair of shoes designed to enhance speed, but they were inexplicably unusable. Swearing aloud in frustration, he forcefully kicked a tree in anger. Nevertheless, he had to use all his strength to run up the mountain. Having been upgraded to Rank S, his base attributes were decent, and he could move quickly.
Even so, he had to keep running without stopping to make it back to the mountaintop within the stipulated time.
……
Meanwhile, in the villa at the mountain peak, Zhou Qian finally began to examine the toys.
He was looking at a unique toy consisting of plastic pegs of varying sizes and shapes. They could be plugged into a plastic board to create any shape, number, or simple word. The toy aided children’s spatial imagination, numeric recognition, and basic literacy. Played more intricately, one could craft a sequence of stories using this toy.
However, it was also a very dangerous toy. The mushroom tacks were sharp, and incidents like swallowing them or accidentally poking oneself were possible.
While Zhou Qian was engrossed, Ke Si and Ke Shi were also analyzing the toys. Bai Zhou was gazing out of the window, deep in thought.
Sitting casually on the ground, Zhou Qian unwrapped the packaging and picked up one of the mushroom tacks to examine it closely for a while.
Then he looked towards Bai Zhou, who was standing by the window, and said, “The child with a hole in his forehead, it was caused by this toy, wasn’t it?”
Bai Zhou nodded. “Yes, most likely. But, they’re made of plastic. Piercing the forehead wouldn’t be that easy.”
Seeing this, Ke Si and Ke Shi also started discussing among themselves.
“There must be some sort of mechanism, right?”
“I noticed this afternoon that Ke Er and Ke San spent a long time researching by the swing. Do you think it’s possible that someone could be thrown off the swing and then land on the mushroom tack, causing it to puncture the forehead?”
“That sounds really difficult, doesn’t it?”
“But I always feel the swing isn’t safe. Let’s dismantle the swing first!”
Hearing this, Zhou Qian interrupted them. “If you dismantle the swing, there will be ready-made nails and broken wood. ‘A child accidentally falls, causing a nail or wood shard to puncture their forehead’… Isn’t this kind of ‘accident’ more believable?”
“What about setting it on fire? Burning always works!”
“The corpses displayed in the exhibition hall provide clues for players, allowing them to speculate in advance about which ‘accidents’ Ruan Mei might design. But just because an ‘accident’ isn’t hinted at in the hall doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the game. So, if you set the swing on fire, you might just inspire Ruan Mei to burn down the entire villa and then push you into the blazing inferno.”
Ke Si and Ke Shi looked like they were about to cry from Zhou Qian’s sharp words. “So, what should we do? Either way, isn’t it certain death?”
Zhou Qian exchanged a glance with Bai Zhou and then smiled at the duo. “You’re mistaken. While this villa is indeed a natural killing ground, who said Ruan Mei is definitely the one to kill us?”
“Ruan Mei has already set traps for us,” Zhou Qian said with a grin. “So, let’s work together to send her on her way.”
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