Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 178
Under the system’s urging, Xu Feiyu was forced to walk toward the cage’s gate.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but despite the sky still being gray, it seemed darker than before. Looking up, she felt like there was a layer of fog over it that would never dissipate.
Was this what the apocalypse sky looked like?
Or… was it possible they had misunderstood this dungeon all along?
What kind of world were they really in?
“Please come with me,” a polite voice spoke.
Xu Feiyu looked forward and saw a courteous man.
She remembered he had already been standing at the gate when the system announced the murderer’s identity.
She shuddered involuntarily and noticed that the murderer wasn’t holding any card.
What was going on? Where was he taking her?
In the King’s Game, chosen players were required to complete the corresponding task. No matter how suspicious she felt, Xu Feiyu had no choice but to follow him.
Along the way, surrounding murderers looked at the tuxedoed man with envy, but they all wordlessly stepped aside, clearing a path and directing their greedy gazes toward the players still trapped in the cage.
Xu Feiyu’s heart pounded wildly. After walking some distance, she saw a tall, strikingly beautiful woman ahead, holding a card that bore the number 95.
What was happening?
Was she the murderer?
The woman’s beauty was unforgettable and oddly familiar.
As soon as Xu Feiyu saw her, she recognized her instantly—this was Mary, the owner of the haunted manor!
Mary’s bathtub was said to run red with blood. Her manor always reeked of roses… because she slaughtered young girls and used their blood, flesh, and roses to make a special elixir.
By bathing in it or smearing it on her skin, Mary remained eternally youthful.
Because she killed so many people, the resentment lingered, and her manor became haunted.
This was what Xu Feiyu knew from Hidden Blade’s investigation.
In that version, Mary was the murderer, and the ghosts haunting the manor were the vengeful spirits of countless murdered girls…
But then, who was this man?
Why had she never heard of him before?
Could he be Mary’s accomplice?
“I’m merely a magician,” the tuxedoed man said, speaking gently with refined elegance.
Xu Feiyu opened her mouth to question him but didn’t get the chance. A sudden force, like a storm, dragged her into a different space.
The next moment, she heard enchanting music and smelled fragrant roses.
Her eyes widened. She was now in a grand ballroom hosting an opulent dance.
The place was packed with guests, dresses swirling, perfume filling the air.
Looking closely, she saw numerous beautiful women. Some were older, but others appeared barely past twenty.
All of them were dressed impeccably, wearing flawless makeup, their faces glowing with anticipation, like princesses waiting to meet a prince.
As Xu Feiyu studied the ballroom, a sense of familiarity settled over her. Then she overheard snippets of conversation among the women nearby.
“The Duchess inviting us commoners to her ball… This is incredible.”
“I heard we’ll see Count William… He’s so handsome!”
“I want to see Count William too… He’s dreamy!”
“I heard blue is his favorite color. That’s why you wore that blue gown, right?”
“You’re his favorite type—blonde. You’ve got the upper hand.”
……
Hearing this, Xu Feiyu realized it: this was the manor!
These women were invited because they all longed to see their dream man, Count William.
As commoners, they’d never normally have such an opportunity.
Granted permission by the Duchess, they had dressed to perfection, hoping not only to see him but maybe to win his favor, to transform from Cinderellas into princesses.
But it was all a trap!
Mary had lured them here to kill them and use their blood!
At that realization, Xu Feiyu heard footsteps.
The click of high heels echoed down the stairs.
She looked up to see the peerlessly beautiful Mary descending from the second floor.
Mary held a wine glass in her left hand, its deep red liquid eerily like blood.
In her right hand, she carried a familiar card.
Was this an illusion conjured by the murderer?
Was this a “test” for her?
What was she supposed to do?
Suddenly, Mary’s gaze fell upon Xu Feiyu.
Mary raised her glass toward her and smiled warmly. “Thank you, my dear Xu. Thank you for the wine and for preparing this wonderful party for me.
“In this world… young women are truly the loveliest flowers. Without them, my banquet would be so dull.”
“Y-You… what? I prepared this party?!”
Xu Feiyu’s mind reeled.
In a flash, it clicked, and she staggered backward. “No, it wasn’t me. It’s you… It’s you! You did this!”
“Of course you invited them. You sent each of them an invitation yourself. You even brewed this wine. Don’t you remember? My dear, are you overworked and confused?”
Mary approached with feigned concern, closing the distance.
“No! No!” Xu Feiyu shouted in desperation.
“I won’t be your scapegoat! You—You’re the murderer! This is your scheme. You’re framing me! You want me to take the fall, but I won’t!”
She backed up further and turned to the women. “Run! Mary won’t let you see any Count William! She just wants to kill you! Run with me!”
She sprinted toward the ornate doors, pushing them open and dashing outside—
Only to crash into someone’s arms.
Outside stood a devastatingly handsome man in a tuxedo.
At the sight of him, the women squealed in delight.
“The Count! Count William is here!”
“Damn, was that woman crazy? Throwing herself at him like that!”
“Ugh, what if she tells him we bullied her?!”
“She’s despicable!”
“She even sent us the invitations! The Duchess herself said it! She invited us, only to throw herself at him to make us jealous!”
“What a vile woman!”
It was over.
Xu Feiyu realized in horror: she was utterly doomed.
They all believed she was the murderer.
But what else could she have done?
“Feeling unwell? I’ll have a carriage take you,” said “Count William”.
“No! Let go of me! Let me go! You’re Mary’s accomplice, aren’t you? She’s the murderer! Please… spare me…”
But she was no match for his strength. He dragged her into a carriage and climbed in after her.
Only then did Xu Feiyu grasp the truth, but it was too late.
As the carriage sped down a cobbled path, she stared at the man, her face ghostly pale. “You’re not the Count. You’re not even a magician, are you?
“This isn’t really about ghosts in a manor, is it? You were never exorcizing anything for Mary, were you?!
“Where are you taking me? I…”
Then it hit her. Her eyes lit up with sudden realization.
“You’re the real murderer! Mary’s just your accomplice! Or maybe… both of you are the murderers—both 95! A duo!”
Her voice trembled but gained strength. “I know who you are now! I won’t take the fall! I’ll expose you!
“You can’t send me back now! Let me go!”
Her final scream was raw and wild.
The man sighed softly. “You touched plenty of furniture during your investigation, even the wine bottles, didn’t you?
“The place is covered in your traces. And—”
He leaned in, whispering the final words that shattered her completely.
“Too bad. Those girls… they were all adults. You forgot the victims were minors. So—
“They aren’t victims. They’ll all testify against you.
“With physical evidence and witnesses, you are now the true culprit.”
“No—!”
In despair, Xu Feiyu wrenched the carriage door open and leapt out.
She hit the ground hard and suddenly found herself back near the cage.
No time to comprehend, she only stared wide-eyed as the elegant, terrifying man raised a knife toward her.
Beside him stood Mary, now unclothed, stepping languidly into a bathtub.
Glancing at her, the man smiled wickedly at Xu Feiyu and advanced. “The lady’s bath lacks blood. Donate yours. I’ll help you.”
……
Inside the cage, all the players stared, stunned.
They’d all assumed this wouldn’t be a death sentence.
After all, Zhou Qian had said the game would last five hours.
Surely most players would encounter a murderer but not die. And once murderers secured their scapegoats, they’d presumably leave, increasing others’ odds of survival.
If every chosen player died, 55 of 81 players would perish—rendering their 12-hour investigations pointless.
But now they watched in horror:
Xu Feiyu merely followed the murderer, reached an empty clearing, saw a bathtub appear, and Mary stepped into it. The murderer then slaughtered her outright.
There was no test. No escape.
“How is this possible…”
“What just happened?”
“So it’s instant death?”
“Then what was the point of investigating?!”
The most devastated was Xu Yang.
He’d promised to help Xu Feiyu escape using his skills.
But none of it mattered.
The murderer didn’t even speak much to her, nor test her!
As Xu Feiyu collapsed into a pool of blood, Xu Yang broke, lunging toward her—
Only for his confidants to tackle him down, preventing him from triggering an instant death penalty for breaking the rules.
“I… I…” Xu Yang’s fists clenched, veins bulging as rage consumed him. He glared at Zhou Qian. “I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!”
Zhou Qian merely glanced at him disdainfully before looking back at the murderers.
“What the hell was that?” He Xiaowei swallowed hard. “This is terrifying… There’s no chance at all?”
“Not necessarily,” Zhou Qian replied.
He Xiaowei: ?
“Don’t forget the World Spirit’s power,” Zhou Qian said calmly. “It’s an expert at distorting time and space.”
Realization struck He Xiaowei. “You mean… what we saw didn’t actually happen here?”
“Exactly.” Zhou Qian smirked. “For once, you’re quick.”
Xu Feiyu had been instantly transported to the shadow world’s past Blue Harbor and then back, all in the blink of an eye.
Time here never moved. To them, it looked instantaneous.
Zhou Qian checked his watch: 7:03 PM.
“She left at 7:02 and returned at 7:02. Who knows how long she spent there… but she failed.”
He smirked faintly. “This oddity gives us our answer. Thanks to her, we know: meeting a murderer sends us to the past.
“And that past ties directly to proving us suspects. We left fingerprints during the exhibit and touched objects during exploration, leaving evidence everywhere.
“The evidence is set. Now what remains is dealing with witnesses. Xiaowei Ge—”
Zhou Qian looked at him. “Spread the word to our side.”
“On it!” He Xiaowei nodded, then turned back curiously. “Wait, how’d you know Xu Feiyu’s number?”
Zhou Qian smiled. “Shan Ge’s my golden finger.”
“Right!” He Xiaowei grinned. “Shan Ge’s amazing. As a ghost, he can get close to anyone. With him, we’ve got this game under control!
“Damn, Qian’er, you’re too good! Who’d have thought we’d be dominating like this?”
He laughed sincerely. “You’re the true King here!”
In the next two rounds, the Kings were both murderers.
Each had two minutes to pick numbers. Zhou Qian tried to sway them into targeting Peach Blossom, but both murderers were deranged lunatics who ignored him, each picking one from both sides.
Thankfully, those victims survived—the murderers clearly weren’t bright enough to set them up.
Zhou Qian noted that the magician and Mary had vanished, meaning they’d succeeded in finding a scapegoat. The two lunatic murderers remained, still empty-handed.
Clearly, these murderers were racing to secure 55 scapegoats by midnight.
Soon, round four began.
This time, the King was Ke Yuxiao.
Zhou Qian glanced at his card: 21.
Moments later, Ke Yuxiao’s voice rang out, giving his choice—“21”.
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