Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 83

In the afternoon, there’s a thin layer of clouds in the sky. The strong sunlight fluctuated with the mountains of varying heights. Inside the living room, the air conditioning was turned up high. Technically, it wasn’t sweltering, but after Zhou Qian answered Ruan Mei’s question, Ke Shi’s back was layered with sweat. It wasn’t long before his shirt was completely drenched, as if it had been washed with water.

Ke Shi was waiting. He was waiting for Ruan Mei’s response and also waiting to see if the system would send any prompts. The scythe of Death was already hanging in front of his neck. It all depended on whether Zhou Qian’s guess was right and if he had won the bet.

In fact, it wasn’t until last night, after Zhou Qian explained the rules to him, that Ke Shi realized how terrifying this scenario was.

Then, he and Ke Si, as instructed by Zhou Qian, checked both the front and back yards. After their round, Zhou Qian joined them for another round before returning to the living room.

Zhou Qian leisurely sat down on the sofa. Both Ke Si and Ke Shi looked at him, letting out their long-held question. “How does the death judgment of this instance work? Why did you make us check so many times?”

“Ruan Mei can only kill under certain conditions, that is, she won’t be seen by her husband or others as the murderer,” Zhou Qian began. “So, she needs some objective conditions to mask her killings as ‘accidents’. You know this. But what you know is just part of it.”

Zhou Qian continued, “From another perspective, the key word of this scenario is ‘murderous intent’. If the objective conditions meet Ruan Mei’s criteria to kill the child, she will harbor the intent to kill. Once she has this intent, she will succeed, and the system will judge us as dead.”

“The system’s judgment is based on Ruan Mei’s subjective will. That’s the biggest challenge in this scenario.”

Hearing this, Ke Si couldn’t help but interject, “That’s too overbearing! It’s not reasonable!”

“It might be overbearing, but it is reasonable,” Zhou Qian replied. “In Ruan Mei’s eyes, we aren’t ‘players’; we’re children. You must understand—real children wouldn’t know in advance that Ruan Mei is a killer.”

Zhou Qian looked at Ke Shi and Ke Si’s expressions and further explained, “For example, if Ruan Mei pulled out a knife in front of a child with the intention to kill, it would be too obvious. The child isn’t stupid and would surely hide.”

“Plus, if she did kill the child with a knife, covering up the crime would be harder. She’d have to come up with an excuse like ‘an intruder broke into my house and killed my child with a knife’, which would leave too many inconsistencies.”

“For these reasons, Ruan Mei won’t kill this way. A knife won’t satisfy her conditions for murder, so it won’t trigger her murderous intent. Under these circumstances, the system won’t declare death.”

“But conversely, if Ruan Mei plans ahead, whether she smothers the children in their sleep or tricks them into a car to poison them with carbon monoxide…”

“As long as the objective factors align with what Ruan Mei believes she needs to commit murder, her intent to kill will be activated, and the system will judge us as dead.”

“That’s why I said that the system’s judgment depends on Ruan Mei’s subjective wishes.”

After pondering for a moment, Ke Si and Ke Shi seemed to have understood. They whispered amongst themselves for a bit before looking eagerly at Zhou Qian.

“We know what to do!” Ke Si exclaimed. “By your logic, something like a knife won’t trigger her intent to kill. So, can’t we just confront her with a knife? Even if we don’t have skills, can’t use aggressive items, and our strength is comparable to children, can’t the four of us overpower her?”

However, Zhou Qian replied, “No, you can’t just do that.”

“Why?!”

“Once Ruan Mei realizes our intentions, it will be even more unfavorable for us. Because we would be immediately deemed dead.”

“Why? Based on what?!”

“It seems you didn’t fully understand what I just said. Think carefully about the logic in it.”

After a while, seeing the expressions on Ke Si and Ke Shi, they apparently didn’t get it. Zhou Qian continued, “You forgot the most crucial sentence I said earlier—Ruan Mei’s subjective will determines how the system judges.”

“The example I gave earlier about the ‘knife’ is under normal circumstances. Once there’s a change, causing Ruan Mei’s subjective will to change, the ‘knife’ might trigger her intent to kill.”

“For instance, if Ruan Mei sees us trying to kill her with a knife, alarm bells will go off in her mind—”

“’Did the children find out everything I’ve done? Are they trying to kill me? In that case, I can’t set up so many traps. I have to kill them quickly!'”

By this point, looking deeply into Ke Si and Ke Shi’s eyes, Zhou Qian seriously said, “In such situations, Ruan Mei’s subjective intention and mindset change, and the objective factors triggering murderous intent change accordingly.”

“For us, this situation is the most unfavorable. Not only can things like the ‘knife,’ which wouldn’t normally incite her murderous intent, become something she could use to kill, she might not even need any tools to kill us.”

“Let me give you an extreme example. If Ruan Mei directly grabs a child and throws him violently to the ground and then covers up the act afterward, theoretically, could it all be disguised as an accident?”

“She wouldn’t need the so-called trap and designs anymore. Once the urge to kill arises, she directly throws the child to death, then she can pick up a toy gun and shoot a toy bullet into the child’s eye.”

“Afterward, she can claim that the children were playing with the toy gun, shot each other in the eye, and the one who got blinded accidentally fell down the stairs and died… This is also a type of ‘accident,’ right?”

“Therefore, once we confront Ruan Mei, she will immediately become murderous.”

“In such cases, ‘killing us’ is the top priority, and the illusion of an ‘accident’ can be remedied afterward. In her subjective will, as a mother, she could totally throw her child off a cliff…”

“Once she has this thought, without any additional tools, the system will make an immediate judgment, and we will directly die.”

By this point, Ke Si and Ke Shi were pale faced.

They finally understood Zhou Qian’s meaning—

Under normal circumstances, Ruan Mei wouldn’t choose to directly stab or throw a child to death because the success rate was low, the risk was high, and there would be more loopholes, making it harder for her to evade guilt.

Ruan Mei would prioritize the easiest method for her to kill. Based on that, if she could minimize suspicion, it would be even better.

But if situations became “abnormal,” Ruan Mei wouldn’t care anymore. Her primary goal was to kill, and concerns about evading guilt would only come afterward.

When the thought “I can kill now” emerged in Ruan Mei’s mind, the system would declare the player dead.

On the surface, it looked like players could directly confront Ruan Mei with a knife. But in reality, they couldn’t. In this scenario, players truly had no advantage.

No wonder… so many players failed in this instance.

Ke Si and Ke Shi felt utterly hopeless about clearing this challenge.

The two finally understood why Ke Er and Ke San decided to run. Those two realized this aspect and thought that staying far away from Ruan Mei was the real solution.

Unfortunately, they missed one point—they didn’t realize that the last two bodies in the exhibition hall died because of a “car”. They didn’t expect that Ruan Mei wouldn’t stay in the villa to kill the other children but instead drive after them.

After a long while, Ke Si, having thought of something, asked Zhou Qian again, “Can’t we just hide? If the four of us restrain each other and play hide and seek with Ruan Mei, leading her here and there, and then just pass the remaining time?”

Ke Shi added, “Or, simpler, can’t we just avoid all the traps? Go to the lake? No. Swing? No. Basically, just refuse whatever she suggests!”

Zhou Qian decisively replied, “Neither of your suggestions will work.”

Ke Si and Ke Shi: “Why?!”

Zhou Qian said, “Actually, the logic is the same as what I just said. If all the traps and plans of Ruan Mei are evaded by us, that’s also an ‘unconventional situation’. If her designed methods to kill can’t be used, she can only resort to the simplest and crudest means. She might think, ‘might as well just throw them off and kill them’. Once she thinks this way, the system will immediately determine us as dead.”

“The game of hide and seek is the same. If she can’t find someone, her mentality will change. For instance, she might think, ‘might as well burn down the whole villa’.”

“To sum it up, once Ruan Mei’s mentality changes, her criteria for killing also change. Once her ideal conditions related to killing become flexible, we are more likely to be directly determined as dead.”

Ke Si and Ke Shi felt a shiver down their spines. The more Zhou Qian explained, the more they felt doomed. This wasn’t a strange game; it was directly designed to kill the players.

In the afternoon, under the advice of Ke Er and Ke San, they carefully checked the toys, envisioned all possible traps related to killing, and tried to avoid them. But it turned out they could only hide temporarily. If they managed to dismantle all of Ruan Mei’s traps, she would resort to brute force.

Ke Si even said, “I might as well commit suicide. Who knows what Ruan Mei would do to me? What if she lets me suffocate in a car? Isn’t that torture?”

Ke Shi earnestly looked at Zhou Qian and said sincerely, “Qian Ge, what should we do? We are relying on you! Without you, we would probably die here.”

Zhou Qian said, “Once we see through the way the system determines death, it’s not hard. Ruan Mei’s mindset has two stages.”

“First, in the regular state, she would choose a more secure method, making everything look like ‘accidents’, harming people without a trace, to absolve herself.”

“Second, in an unconventional extreme state, she would kill in a crude way. Once this state is triggered, we’re likely to be directly judged as dead.”

“What we need to do is simple: prevent her from reaching the second state.”

“To achieve this, we should follow three points.”

“First, do not confront her directly. She shouldn’t find out we intend to kill her.”

“Second, don’t just play hide and seek, as she might get angry if she can’t find us.”

“Third, don’t reject all her suggestions, even if we know it might lead us to death.”

Ke Si asked, “I understand the first and second, but what about the third? How do we judge that?”

Ke Shi continued, “Yes, actually I understand the previous points. For example, the first night, there were children in the room, no other adults, there were pillows, which can be the three factors for the system’s judgment.”

“Last night, Ruan Mei was able to drive the children to the supermarket alone, and objective factors also made her feel she could kill.”

“But this situation in the villa is more complicated! There are no adults around now, and the factor of no witnesses already naturally exists! Those toys, swings, and such naturally exist. The reason why the system didn’t make a judgment is because…. Because…”

Ke Shi suddenly became lost for words.

Zhou Qian laughed and said, “Indeed, here in the villa, various factors that could provoke Ruan Mei’s intent to kill objectively exist. The system hasn’t determined it because there are too many ways to die.”

“If there are too many ways to die, the system wouldn’t know how to judge. So, when we choose a single ‘way to die’, we would immediately be judged as dead.”

“For example, if Ruan Mei proposes to go to the swing, once we agree, the system will probably determine that we are going to die immediately.”

Ke Shi exclaimed, “Oh god… I can’t see how we can survive at all.”

Zhou Qian replied, “If Ruan Mei makes suggestions related to the villa facilities or toys, we should decline, or we would be judged as dead. However, if she suggests going to the lakeside, we wouldn’t die.”

Ke Si asked, “Why?!”

Zhou Qian explained, “Agreeing to go to the lakeside won’t cause an immediate death. There are many ways to reach the lakeside, by car or walking. By car, we might suffocate; walking, she might push us off a cliff.”

“Understand? ‘Agreeing to go to the lakeside’ isn’t deadly, which is why we haven’t been judged dead in the villa because it corresponds to various death methods, and the system can’t decide yet.”

Zhou Qian concluded, “Staying in this villa, we might encounter fire, gas explosions, gas poisoning, deadly toys… It’s impossible to guard against it. But if we go to the lake, there are many ways to die, but at least they can be anticipated.”

“In addition, there are children who drowned in the exhibition hall. Going to the lake will definitely be one of Ruan Mei’s suggestions. As long as we agree to this, we won’t have to decline all her suggestions, forcing her to desperately kill us directly.”

“Overall, going to the lakeside is the best choice.”

Ke Si and Ke Shi were eventually persuaded. “Agreed to ‘go to the lake’, and then?”

Zhou Qian said, “After that, before we leave the villa on the way to the lake, before Ruan Mei thinks ‘all the factors deliberately creating the appearance of an accident are in place, I can now start killing’, we will quietly kill her first.”

After this, not only did Ke Si and Ke Shi start to imagine ways to assassinate Ruan Mei, but Zhou Qian was also thinking.

First, spread oil, alcohol, and flammable materials on the road in advance, and then set Ruan Mei on fire when the time comes. But this carried a great risk.

No one could predict the movements of other adults and Ruan Mei the next day. If the trap was discovered in advance, it was likely to lead Ruan Mei to harbor a direct and brutal intent to kill. If the fire didn’t completely surround Ruan Mei and failed to kill her instantly, if she approached and smelled something… all of these could cause her mentality to shift, deciding to directly kill and afterward disguise it as an “accident”.

In that case, the system would determine that everyone was dead.

Secondly, make a bow and arrow overnight, find someone to ambush on the road downhill to the lake, and shoot.

This was also unreliable. Not to mention that players couldn’t leave the villa’s restricted area without interacting with NPCs, the tools in their villa were very limited. It wasn’t easy to create a tool that could kill with one hit.

Now they were all just kids. If the arrow wasn’t shot accurately, or because of craft issues, the arrow wasn’t sharp enough to kill immediately… As long as Ruan Mei was still breathing and harbored the “intent to kill”, the system might still determine that the players were dead.

……

After eliminating all other methods, in fact, only one method remains.

Zhou Qian spoke up, sharing his thoughts with Ke Si and Ke Shi. “This method is both difficult and simple. The ‘knife’ is a double-edged sword. I still hold my previous viewpoint. Under normal circumstances, it won’t invoke Ruan Mei’s intent to kill. Before she discovers everything, stab her with the ‘knife’. This is actually the most effective way to clear the stage.”

Upon hearing Zhou Qian’s words, both Ke Si and Ke Shi fell silent. Given the players’ current physical state, they were almost indistinguishable from real children.

It would be very difficult for them to kill an adult with a single stab. Furthermore, even if the knife pierced Ruan Mei’s heart, if she wasn’t killed instantly and realized what was happening, and harbored the intent to kill, the system, which judged based on her subjective intentions, might deem the players dead.

So, the person who would attempt to stab Ruan Mei must land a critical hit. Otherwise, not only would they be deemed dead immediately, all players would die with them.

Without any MP to use… who could confidently pull this off in the state of a child?

After both Ke Si and Ke Shi raised this concern, a voice responded, “I’ll do it.”

This time, it was Bai Zhou who answered.

Ke Si and Ke Shi turned to see Bai Zhou holding a bowl of shrimp soup, walking from the direction of the kitchen.

With a calm and gentle demeanor, he placed the bowl on the table in front of Zhou Qian. Without looking at Ke Si and Ke Shi, Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian and said, “You handle the preparations. I’ll take the final step.”

Zhou Qian scooped up a piece of shrimp and smiled at Bai Zhou. “So, you’re heeding my instructions now?”

Bai Zhou stared back. “It’s not about following your orders, but whether you trust me or not.”

According to Zhou Qian’s proposal, if there was the slightest error, everyone would die. This move required someone who could execute it flawlessly. With this in mind, Bai Zhou’s statement was really a question to Zhou Qian—whether he was willing to entrust his life to him.

“It’s said that a Rank God player is on the verge of entering the realm of the gods. If I were your Shepherd, you’d be my God, right?”

Zhou Qian offered the spoonful of shrimp to Bai Zhou and said with a mix of sincerity and jest, “Then this is my test for you, my God. Let’s see if you can pass.”

The conversation between Zhou Qian, Ke Si, and the others left the virtual hall spectators in shock.

“It’s over. If it were me, I’d definitely be dead.”

“Yeah, the answer ‘going to the water’s edge’ clearly leads to drowning. Everyone would think it’s a death trap! Who would think that it’s almost the only way out?”

“The game designer has a wicked sense of humor.”

“Do you guys feel that this 137 guy is getting weirder and weirder?”

“He’s especially weird towards Qian Ge.”

“Qian Ge is also a bit weird towards him. What did he mean by that? Usually, gods test humans, but he reversed it?”

“So what exactly is the relationship between this 137 and our Qian Ge…?”

……

Time returned to the present.

After Zhou Qian agreed to go to the lake, he looked at Ruan Mei and added, “We really want to go to the lake, but not by car. We want to walk down the mountain. There seem to be many butterflies on the path from the backyard, and we want to walk from there.”

Ruan Mei smiled at Zhou Qian and said, after a pause, “Alright. I’ll get some short T-shirts for you all.”

Hearing this, Ke Shi and Ke Si both let out a sigh of relief, completely relaxing.

Thus, 10 minutes later, Ruan Mei indeed changed the four “children” into short T-shirts. This almost entirely ruled out the possibility of players hiding anything on them.

“Let’s set off now!” Ruan Mei said.

Zhou Qian pointed towards the kitchen. “Could you get some fruit and a knife? We can eat some fruit on the way. I want you to peel an apple for me!”

When Ke Shi heard the word “knife”, his heart, which had just settled, once again rose in anxiety, every hair standing on end.

Last night, when he nervously asked Zhou Qian if everything was really okay, Zhou Qian emphasized, “I’ve said it before, as long as we don’t push her into an unconventional state, a ‘knife’ is fine. The risk of her using a knife on us and later being identified as the murderer is too great.”

“A knife, while looking dangerous and conspicuous, won’t provoke her murderous intent. So, we can use it to our advantage. It’s our key to victory.”

While waiting for Ruan Mei’s response and a system notification, Ke Shi could only reassure himself by repeatedly recalling Zhou Qian’s words. Fortunately, Ruan Mei soon smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll get the knife and fruits.”

Moments later, Ruan Mei, holding fruits and a knife in one hand and a picnic blanket in the other, led the four children to the backyard, planning to head down the mountain from there.

When passing the swing, she asked, “Do you want to swing for a while?”

All four firmly declined. Her smile slightly froze, but she continued walking.

Zhou Qian had a reason to choose the backyard route. The front yard led directly to the downhill path. If Ruan Mei wanted to push someone down, the players would be deemed dead the moment they stepped out.

The backyard, however, led to a large flat area. This area, probably planned by Ke Yun for a garden, hadn’t been worked on and was idle.

This space served as a buffer for the players, far from any steep slopes or potential danger points. Here, the only ways to kill were to throw a child forcibly to the ground or use the fruit knife. Both methods were too conspicuous for a sane Ruan Mei.

Her killing intent would truly be triggered closer to the steep slopes or at the water’s edge. Thus, this place became Zhou Qian’s chosen location to counterattack.

Leading the way, Zhou Qian turned back and signaled Ke Si and Ke Shi. Both, trying to suppress their fear, sat on the ground.

Ruan Mei looked at them. “What’s wrong? You can’t be tired after just a few steps?”

Ke Shi was afraid that their action might provoke Ruan Mei’s sudden intent to kill. But Zhou Qian walked to his side, patted his shoulder, and whispered, “We’ve already promised her we’d ‘go to the water’s edge’, so she can confidently proceed with her plan without any killing intent here. Stay calm.”

Ke Shi swallowed hard, trying to contain himself, and then smiled at Ruan Mei. “Mom, we’re suddenly tired and want some fruit.”

“Yeah.” Zhou Qian walked over and took Ruan Mei’s hand, leading her to sit on the ground. “Mom, you should rest too. You must’ve been so busy these past few days. We’re all worried about you. Can you peel some apples for us?”

With a smile, Ruan Mei sat down and, sure enough, began peeling the apples. Zhou Qian glanced at her and gave a subtle look towards Bai Zhou, who wasn’t too far behind her. Bai Zhou nodded in acknowledgment. Zhou Qian then turned and walked towards Ke Si and Ke Shi, who were sitting on the ground pretending to be too lazy to move, looking as though he wanted to playfully scuffle with them.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Qian suddenly fell to the ground and cried out. “Mom, come help me! It hurts so much!”

Always playing her part and ensuring the children had no suspicions, Ruan Mei immediately set aside the apple and knife, walking over to Zhou Qian and embracing him.

Her initial instinct was to stand up while holding Zhou Qian. However, each time she moved, Zhou Qian cried louder, so she could only remain seated, holding and comforting him.

Zhou Qian deliberately made Ruan Mei sit facing away from the fruits, the knife, and Bai Zhou to facilitate Bai Zhou’s subsequent actions. Given Bai Zhou’s current height resembling that of a child, it would be challenging for him to act if Ruan Mei stood up.

While crying in Ruan Mei’s embrace, Zhou Qian’s gaze passed over her shoulder, focusing on Bai Zhou behind her.

After a while, Bai Zhou picked up the knife, hiding it behind him, and moved silently closer, much like a ghost walking under the sunlight.

He quietly approached behind Ruan Mei and stealthily raised his arm. Seeing this, Ke Si and Ke Shi punched each other, immediately beginning to scuffle, attracting all of Ruan Mei’s attention.

Ruan Mei looked up, her gaze shifting from Zhou Qian to focus on Ke Si and Ke Shi. She immediately chided, “Hey, how old are you two now? Why are you still fighting?”

In the next moment, a hand wielding a knife quickly slid across her throat.

With one slash, her throat was slit. Ruan Mei choked and died instantly.

The moment blood spurted out, Ruan Mei was pushed aside by a hand.

A figure quickly rushed over, put one hand on Zhou Qian’s shoulder, led him sideways, and raised his other hand to cover his eyes.

After a while, Zhou Qian felt the palm in front of him move away. He looked down and saw not a single drop of blood on himself.

The sunlight, the mountain, the villa… All the scenery suddenly disappeared. Opening their eyes, the players returned to their adult appearance and returned to Hall 1 of Exhibition Hall A.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure flashed and appeared out of thin air in the location of Hall 7.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 82

11 p.m.

Ke Si and Ke Shi had been guarding the courtyard gate for a long time. Initially vigilant, they now struggled to keep their eyes open against encroaching sleep.

Suddenly, the chopping sound of a cleaver jolted them awake. Startled, they jumped to their feet, murmuring nonsensically in their drowsy state.

“Could it be? Is Ruan Mei wielding a cleaver?”

“I thought she only used methods related to ‘accidents’ to kill?”

“What are you thinking? If Ruan Mei really intended to kill, given your lack of alertness, you’d both be dead by now.”

It was Zhou Qian’s voice.

The two turned to see him yawning.

They quickly replied, “You’re right, Brother Ge! We’ll listen to you!”

The sound of chopping kept coming.

Both of them looked towards the kitchen and saw that the person with the cleaver was the Rank God player with the words “Ke Yi” on his head.

He was probably cooking, and with an indifferent expression, he was chopping something with the cleaver.

They wouldn’t have been hungry if they didn’t realize someone was cooking. But once they realized it, both of them suddenly felt hungry, and their stomachs started to growl.

Zhou Qian glanced at them. “Stop standing there. Use this time to check inside and outside the courtyard again. If Ruan Mei comes back and makes any move, we will all break the rules. However—”

“However, what?” The two were taken aback.

Zhou Qian said, “There’s no rush. If Ruan Mei comes back, it will likely be tomorrow.”

Ke Si and Ke Shi clearly didn’t understand.

“What do you mean? Why won’t she come back?”

“Oh, Qian Ge, please be clear. We have been scared for two hours!”

“If Ruan Mei wanted to return, two hours would have been enough for her to come back and then continue her killing plan. But since she hasn’t shown up for so long, it indicates she definitely won’t have time to return tonight. From a realistic point of view, this is actually more logical.”

Zhou Qian explained, “Because she has to find a sufficient reason to prove that the accident of locking the child in the car was due to some force majeure. Otherwise, involuntary manslaughter is enough to put her in prison.”

Ke Si and Ke Shi looked at each other, probably understood, but looked at Zhou Qian with difficulty. “Okay. Since she hasn’t returned for so long, should we set up a trap to get back at her? We have plenty of time now.”

Unexpectedly, Zhou Qian said, “Of course, there’s no need.”

Ke Si and Ke Shi: “???”

Zhou Qian said, “Tomorrow morning, the cooking auntie, the driver, and others will probably come over, and even many relatives like Ke Yun and Ke Zheng will come. If they trigger our traps beforehand, it’ll be difficult to deceive Ruan Mei. Unless we can kill all the adults without letting Ruan Mei notice, do you think that’s realistic?”

Ke Si and Ke Shi understood. “You have a point. Then we…”

Zhou Qian simply said, “We do need traps, but not the kind you’re thinking of that are meant to harm people. First, go check things out. I’ll explain in detail later.”

After instructing Ke Si and Ke Shi to get to work, Zhou Qian stretched lazily and went to the kitchen. Seeing Bai Zhou’s current state in the kitchen, Zhou Qian could hardly contain his amusement—

Everyone had become children, naturally shorter in stature. The now smaller Bai Zhou was having difficulty chopping meat directly, so he was standing on a small stool to reach the cutting board.

“Being small is really inconvenient. I almost couldn’t handle playing cards,” Zhou Qian said, laughing as he approached and sat next to the semi-open kitchen counter.

Resting his cheek on his hand, he intently watched Bai Zhou. “What late-night snack are you making for me?”

Bai Zhou continued chopping the peeled shrimp. “Vegetable, mushroom, and shrimp soup?”

“Sounds good.” Zhou Qian smiled and continued watching.

Bai Zhou, who had been silently chopping, felt Zhou Qian’s gaze and, after a while, looked up. “What are you looking at?”

“At you,” Zhou Qian replied naturally. “I noticed on the beach earlier; your weapon is a Tang sword. So… are you skilled with the blade? The hand that wielded a sword to kill enemies now holds a kitchen knife in the manner of a child… It’s quite intriguing. I should take the chance to watch more, as I won’t see this after leaving this instance.”

“Mm.” Bai Zhou nodded slightly. “Watch all you want.”

Zhou Qian gave him a once-over and asked, “When you first joined this game, you were not even 17, right?”

Bai Zhou, still chopping shrimp, nodded. “Mm.”

“It was dangerous a lot of times, wasn’t it?” Zhou Qian inquired.

Bai Zhou responded succinctly. “It was okay.”

Zhou Qian remarked, “I can hardly imagine how you managed to clear instances when you were alone.”

Bai Zhou looked up again. “The instances I entered didn’t have as many twists and turns.”

So, weren’t those instances both dangerous and tedious and also boring? Translated into game time, Bai Zhou’s solitary journey spanned well over seven years. What kind of belief or desire kept him going alone in the game for so long?

Zhou Qian remained silent.

After a while, noticing Bai Zhou’s consistent shrimp-chopping movements, he suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“What is it?” Bai Zhou paused and looked into Zhou Qian’s eyes.

Zhou Qian motioned toward the cutting board. “This dish seems quite complicated. Actually, I don’t really need a midnight snack.”

Bai Zhou’s expression remained unchanged, but there was a deeper meaning in his gaze. “You won’t be able to eat it once you leave the game.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian’s expression darkened.

Indeed, in reality, he wouldn’t be able to taste anything Bai Zhou made. The real Bai Zhou was bound in a straitjacket, immobile. Part of him might even be in an urn in his hospital room. Who knows what the real him has become?

Zhou Qian took a sip from the juice beside him. When he put the glass down, the gravity in his eyes had vanished, replaced with a smile. “I haven’t had it in seven years—what’s missing one more meal?”

Hearing this, Bai Zhou put down the knife and looked at Zhou Qian, asking gently, “I’ve finished chopping. Do you want to eat?”

“Eat, eat, eat. Use less salt,” Zhou Qian said, hopping off the stool and heading out. “I’m going to find Ke Si and Ke Shi.”

……

On the other side.

Ruan Mei drove to the supermarket with her child “Ke San”.

Turning on the air conditioner, she parked her car in the underground garage.

Ke Yun’s house was located in a remote area. The commercial district at the foot of the mountain was a newly developed commercial zone. The shopping mall where the supermarket was located was relatively quiet, especially at this time, there were hardly any visitors.

Hence, the underground garage had large vacant areas.

Ruan Mei drove into this already empty underground garage and finally parked her car in the most secluded corner.

In such a place, the chances of a passerby noticing a child left in a car were almost zero.

Ruan Mei kept the air conditioner on the whole time, finally locked the car, and left for the supermarket on her own.

An hour later, she was found on a remote path on the north side of the commercial district.

She was lying on the ground with a swollen bump on the back of her head where she had been hit. Her handbag was beside her, its contents scattered, and her wallet, empty of cash, was tossed nearby.

A passerby, seeing this scene, immediately assumed that Ruan Mei had been robbed and promptly called the police and dialed 120.

When Ruan Mei “woke up” in the hospital, it was already midnight.

Opening her eyes in a daze, she saw her husband by her bedside. Suddenly recalling something, she panicked, grabbed his arm, and said, “Oh no, Ke San is still in the garage, in the car! Go find him!”

“I’ve been feeling awful all day. I was so distracted… I just remembered… I can’t remember if I turned off the air conditioner… What should we do about Ke San…”

“I left the supermarket on foot, forgetting that I had driven there. I… I…”

“I wanted to go back! Later, I remembered I had driven there. I wanted to go back to the garage to find him! But then I was robbed! A’Zheng! We have to save Ke San! Hurry!”

Thus, to outsiders, this was the story—

Ruan Mei took her child to the supermarket to buy milk. Out of fear that he would run around, she locked him in the car. After suddenly losing her other four children, she cried all day, utterly heartbroken and distracted, forgetting to turn off the air conditioner.

When she left the supermarket, she forgot that she had driven there. As she walked up the mountain path and halfway realized her mistake, she was robbed and knocked unconscious, leading to the tragic death of her child Ke San.

Ruan Mei didn’t sleep that night. She saw her son Ke San for the last time, and went to the police station to give a statement… By the time all of this was over, it was noon the next day.

At noon the next day, Ruan Mei, Ke Yun, and Ke Zheng had lunch together in the mountain villa.

At the dining table, the four players didn’t eat much and just silently watched Ruan Mei’s performance.

She looked on the verge of a breakdown, seemingly seconds away from trying to harm herself.

Seeing her in this state, anyone would believe that it was indeed her distracted state combined with being knocked unconscious by a robber that led to another tragedy.

In an era without mobile phones, investigative techniques were primitive.

Moreover, the influential Ke family was deceived by Ruan Mei for a long time, completely believing her version of events. They defended her in front of the police, even hiring a lawyer for her.

Thus, Ruan Mei could still sit here and have a meal.

Ke Yun seemed to have aged ten years overnight and said, “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You didn’t mean for this to happen. This afternoon, I’ll ask the drivers and housekeepers to help you look after the children. Get some rest. My house is far from the city, surrounded by beautiful scenery. Just relax.”

Beside her, Ke Zheng looked very tired. But he knew that if he said anything harsh, Ruan Mei might immediately try to harm herself, so he didn’t dare rebuke her.

Sighing deeply, he said, “Yes, listen to my sister. I have an important meeting this afternoon. Otherwise, I’d definitely stay here with you and the children. I also need to comfort our parents… I’m afraid they’re taking this hard.”

Without knowing the whole story, Ke Zheng and Ke Yun comforted Ruan Mei for a long time, finally helping her to her bedroom to sleep. After ensuring she had no suicidal thoughts, they left.

At 1:50 in the afternoon, the Ke siblings left.

At 2:00 p.m., Ruan Mei got up from bed and went downstairs.

In the kitchen, she gave some money to the housekeeper, asking her to go to a pharmacy at the foot of the mountain to buy some headache medicine.

The housekeeper couldn’t drive, so the driver accompanied her.

Now, in the mountain villa, only Ruan Mei and the four players remained.

After closing the door, Ruan Mei went to the living room and looked at her four “children”.

She asked, “That lake looks so beautiful. Do you want to go see? There’s a car in the courtyard. Should I drive you there?”

Considering the intense heat, if the players agree to drive to the lakeside, there might be two potential risks—suffocation or drowning.

Ke Shi, who had just come out of the kitchen, became extremely anxious when he heard Ruan Mei’s words.

He immediately looked up at Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, who were sitting side by side on the sofa.

Zhou Qian looked up and smiled at Ruan Mei. “Sure, we’d like to go to the lake. It’s really hot today. We want to play in the water!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

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.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 80

6 p.m.

The setting sun slowly sank, the lake changed from green to red, and then merged into the inky darkness with the night.

Lights in the villa on the top of the mountain were lit, and from a distance, it looked like stars shining on the mountain’s peak.

That afternoon, the six players in the villa had tried to leave.

However, whether they walked to the front or back door, a system prompt would appear: [Warning, the player is about to leave the plot-restricted area. If you walk another 50 meters, the player will instantly die.]

Thus, the strategy to escape from the villa and save their lives was completely blocked by the system.

The players had no choice but to stay and adapt.

At this moment, in the dining room on the first floor of the villa, Ruan Mei and six “children” were having dinner together. Originally, the cook, the driver, and the driver’s friend were supposed to eat at a small table in the kitchen, but Ruan Mei invited them over.

At the dinner table, the cook was almost flattered and couldn’t help saying, “Madam is so kind!”

“It’s only right. Life’s tough for everyone,” Ruan Mei replied with a smile, gesturing for them to sit. “Help yourselves. These kids won’t eat much.”

The cook said, “Thank you so much, Madam. After I finish eating, wash the dishes, and help the kids wash their faces and feet, I will leave.”

“There’s no need. I’m used to doing all of this. If I wasn’t busy today, I wouldn’t have asked you to cook,” Ruan Mei said with a smile. “After you eat, you can go. You’re not in a hurry, but the driver is eager to go home. Let him wait a bit to take you back! Speaking of which… I’m a bit worried. It’s really far from the city here. When you three get home, please let me know.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian exchanged glances with Bai Zhou, and the other four players from the Invincible Legion couldn’t help but grip their chopsticks tighter.

Everyone knew what Ruan Mei meant by this—once the three of them left, wouldn’t she be alone? At that time, she could freely start a massacre.

Ma Luoluo, Meng Pingping, and others died silently last night without making a sound, indicating that once players triggered the death condition, they couldn’t even use their items.

With their MP bar depleted and items unusable, all they could do was wait for their death, with no possibility of survival.

The constraints this instance put on players were too much.

The only consolation for the players was that some items without offensive or defensive capabilities could still be used.

At this moment, Ke Er and Ke San were privately chatting using such items.

Ke San: “Boss, what do you think? I feel like something’s off!”

Ke Er: “Indeed, it’s strange. Suffocation, drowning… We can avoid those. But other things are too difficult. You saw the toys Ruan Mei brought, didn’t you?”

At the dinner table, while scanning over the four of them, Zhou Qian obviously noticed that Ke Er and Ke San would glance at each other occasionally, as if discussing something.

However, Zhou Qian pretended not to notice and seemed distracted while enjoying his food. After a yawn, he nudged Bai Zhou with his elbow and pointed with his chopsticks.

“Zhou Ge, I want that.”

Only Bai Zhou probably understood Zhou Qian’s gestures and words.

Swiftly, Bai Zhou used a spoon to scoop out three snails from a plate of stir-fried snails, placing them in his empty bowl. He then used a toothpick to pick out the snail meat, trimming off the muddy tail, and finally placed it in Zhou Qian’s bowl.

“It feels like we’re back in the school canteen.” Zhou Qian chuckled, picking up the snail meat with chopsticks and eating it.

Bai Zhou slowly picked up the second snail and continued to prepare it, while Zhou Qian casually glanced out of the window towards the front yard.

The light inside the house illuminated the yard, revealing two parked cars.

When the cars arrived in the afternoon, Zhou Qian had specifically observed that the driver had driven Ruan Mei in one car while the driver’s friend came in another.

Why bring an extra car?

Upon noticing this, Zhou Qian paid extra attention.

In the afternoon, besides Zhou Qian, the other players naturally noticed this issue as well and quickly gathered in the front yard.

What they saw next was the driver and the driver’s friend parking their cars one after the other. Both of them got out of their vehicles and opened the trunks.

To the players’ surprise, both trunks were filled with toys. The variety of toys was vast, including small cars, toy trains, toy guns, and many boxes of small wooden sticks and blocks. One particular toy caught Zhou Qian’s extra attention—numerous mushroom tacks.

Ruan Mei didn’t bring clothes, commonly used children’s medicine, or books. Instead, she brought a plethora of toys and even used two cars to transport them, clearly revealing her malicious intentions. Given this, the toys likely had a direct relation to potential methods of killing.

The players all realized this.

Zhou Qian noticed that at that moment, Ke San volunteered to help “Mom” move the toys. He indeed carried a lot of toys upstairs, earning praise from the driver and the cook for being considerate.

When transporting the last toy, Ke San lingered upstairs for quite a while. Later, Ke Er, along with Ke Si and Ke Shi, also went up.

Before leaving, Ke Er called out to Zhou Qian. However, Zhou Qian was having Bai Zhou cut an apple for him into small pieces, so he told them he would join them in a bit to inspect the toys.

The reason they went to check the toys was to determine the exact types present.

Those small items couldn’t yet be considered crucial in determining whether the death condition had been triggered. After all, if one wanted to design toys as murder weapons and disguise everything as an accident, specific scenarios were necessary.

It was a test of the players’ imaginative powers—they needed to inspect each toy and ponder how Ruan Mei might transform them into lethal weapons under certain circumstances.

For the time being, Zhou Qian wasn’t particularly concerned about the toy details. What he cared about more was the every move of Ke San, Ke Er, and the others.

After they went upstairs, Zhou Qian, under the pretext of eating an apple, stayed in the kitchen. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the driver’s friend—he had just moved a box of mineral water from the back seat of the car to the storage room next to the kitchen. At that moment, Ruan Mei came over.

Upon seeing the driver’s friend, Ruan Mei handed him a cup of tea, thanking him profusely. The driver’s friend replied with a few polite words and, while accepting the tea, handed something to Ruan Mei. Peeking out from the kitchen, Zhou Qian noticed it was a car key.

Spotting this detail, Zhou Qian confirmed that the reason the driver’s friend drove an empty car over was because Ruan Mei needed a vehicle.

Thus, the car without passengers wasn’t solely for transporting toys. A previously unclear matter became evident to Zhou Qian at that moment.

……

Time returned to the present.

Zhou Qian withdrew his gaze and continued eating leisurely with his chopsticks. Bai Zhou had picked another piece of snail meat for him, and he ate it without hesitation.

Roughly 20 minutes later, dinner came to an end, and it was about time for the cook, the driver, and his friend to leave.

Zhou Qian kept his head down, focusing on his food. Ke San, after glancing at everyone, noticed a bead of sweat on Ke Er’s forehead.

Hmm? Did Ke Er think of another critical issue?

Ke San quickly messaged him through a private communication tool, asking, “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Ke Er replied, “I think… should we convince one of the NPCs to stay?”

Ke San inquired, “What do you mean?”

“Since I saw the toys this afternoon, I’ve been thinking… It’s too hard to avoid the risks in this villa. Drowning and suffocation can be avoided, but everything else is too challenging. Letting a child play on a swing and pushing him off, or simply throwing a child from the third floor… These methods are all too easy for Ruan Mei. Not to mention the various toys, which could correspond to countless murder methods.”

“Before seeing the toys, I thought we might stand a chance, even possibly killing Zhou Qian to claim a reward. But now, I realize it’s not that simple. With the addition of two cars full of toys, there are just too many ways for Ruan Mei to kill us and disguise it as an accident. It’s overwhelming. But I suddenly realized—”

Ke Er continued, “There’s one way to completely avoid all risks! We need to find ourselves a ‘witness’. We need to persuade the driver and the cook to stay. If they stay, Ruan Mei definitely can’t kill anyone!”

Realizing the strategy, Ke San laughed. “Exactly! You’re always the smart one, brother. There are so many ways to die; even if we avoid one, we might fall into another. But having a ‘witness’ will solve all our problems, won’t it?”

As they spoke, the driver and others were already standing up, saying their goodbyes to Ruan Mei, ready to leave. Ke Er signaled Ke San, who quickly approached the driver. “Uncle, auntie, I’ll miss you! Can you stay tonight and play with me?”

Ruan Mei, standing at the door, changed her expression momentarily upon hearing this. However, she quickly reverted to a gentle demeanor, patting Ke San’s head. “Sorry, but they need to go home. They have their children to take care of!”

“Please, uncle!” Ke San turned around and winked at the other players except Ke Er. “Come on, let’s ask them to stay! We’ll only be safe if they stay here!”

While Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou didn’t move, Ke Er, Ke Si, and Ke Shi approached, clutching onto the NPC’s thigh.

Feeling pressured, the driver and the cook exchanged glances, unsure of how to proceed. They wanted to leave but didn’t want to offend the children and, by extension, the Ke family.

Ruan Mei quickly reassured them. “It’s okay. You can go. I’ll handle the children. They’re just being spoiled!”

Ruan Mei’s words seemed to reassure them, like a calming pill. They immediately tried to push away the children in order to leave.

At this moment, Ke Er was clinging to the driver’s friend’s leg. The driver’s friend was trying to pry Ke Er’s fingers away.

Ke Er realized that he currently had the strength of a child and couldn’t match an adult’s force. In desperation, he quickly pulled out a prop.

[Item: Universal Adhesive]

[Function: Allows you to stick to anything. Hold onto it tight, don’t let go, and it will be yours!]

[Status: Currently Unusable]

Seeing the words “Currently Unusable”, veins popped on Ke Er’s forehead in frustration.

He had intended to use this adhesive to keep the NPC here, but who would’ve thought that this tool was also restricted by the system!

Wait, what about Zhou Qian? Why hasn’t Zhou Qian taken any action?

He clearly saw Ruan Mei enter his room last night, but he survived, which meant he was quite clever. He should know how to play in this instance.

Why isn’t he pleading for them to stay?

At the dining table, upon catching Ke Er’s gaze and noticing him desperately clinging to the driver’s friend’s leg only to be heartlessly pushed away, Zhou Qian chuckled.

Zhou Qian then stepped forward, taking a stride towards the door, and said to the driver and others, “If you can’t let us stay, can you take us with you? I don’t want to spend the night on the mountain. It’s too cold here!”

Hearing this, Ke Er and Ke San exchanged glances, quickly grasping the implication, and echoed, “Yes, yes, take us with you! We want to leave this place!”

Due to plot constraints, players couldn’t leave the “Mountain Top Villa” on their own. But if they could persuade the NPCs to take them, it would be like guiding the development of a new storyline. Consequently, the “plot-restricted area” would naturally be expanded, and they could then leave, escaping Ruan Mei’s slaughter.

Yes, Zhou Qian’s idea is good!

Ke Si and Ke Shi were a bit slow to react, but once they understood, they too immediately began pleading, expressing their desire to leave with them.

The cook, probably the most compassionate, melted at the children’s entreaties and immediately proposed to Ruan Mei, “What if… I take them with me?”

Ruan Mei’s face turned quite sour, but in order to maintain her facade, she suppressed whatever she was feeling and astonishingly agreed.

However, her consent came with conditions.

She said, “We only have two cars here, both are ordinary sedans. One car must stay here for any emergencies. As for the other… The driver will drive, his friend in the passenger seat, you can sit at the back, auntie, and you can only take care of two children at most. So—”

Ruan Mei sighed, looking at her “children” and said, “Only two of you can go.”

Out of the six players, only two could leave.

Previously, it was the players pleading with the NPCs, but now there seemed to be a brewing conflict among the players themselves.

Following instructions from Ke Er over the headphones, Ke San was the first to speak up, “I want to go! I’m the one who hates the cold the most! I want to leave! My brother Ke Er and I will go!”

With that, he pulled Ke Er’s arm. “Both of us need to leave together!”

“No, we want to leave too!”

“Yes, us too!”

These were the voices of Ke Si and Ke Shi.

“You all…” Ruan Mei furrowed her brows. “Hurry up and decide who will go, or none of you will! The uncles and aunties are in a hurry to go home. Don’t waste any more time!”

Zhou Qian spoke up, directing his words at Ruan Mei. “Mom, let us discuss for a moment. Give us five minutes?”

“Alright, only five minutes.” Ruan Mei’s expression was getting increasingly stern, but she suppressed something and beckoned the driver and others back into the house, saying, “Come, have some tea. Sorry about this. The more children, the more trouble!”

Outside in the front yard, the door to the living room was temporarily closed, leaving the six players to discuss. They couldn’t leave on their own but could only persuade the NPCs to take them. And only two of them could escape.

Before a formal discussion between the players began, Ke San used a private chat tool to ask Ke Er, “Brother, what do we do?”

Ke Er looked somewhat pale. “We must leave!”

“But only two out of the six can go. This goes against the strategy you set earlier.” Ke San reminded him, “If you fall out with Zhou Qian… you won’t be able to use him against the boss later. If he survives this, he probably won’t fall for your tricks so easily in the future. That reward from the Peach Legion Army…”

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. In this game, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests!” Ke Er seriously replied. “If we offend him now, so be it. If he’s lucky enough to survive, compared to me, his real enemy is still our boss. At that time, we still have room to collaborate. Besides…

“Heh, I think Zhou Qian won’t survive tonight. The villa is full of deadly traps. Except for leaving with these NPCs, I doubt anyone can escape alive!”

Peeking inside through the window, Ke Er’s gaze grew increasingly cold. “The more I think about it, the more I feel we can’t stay here. So many players have fallen in this instance… It certainly has its wicked ways.”

“I’ve already analyzed it with you at the dining table. After seeing those toys, I realized we absolutely can’t stay here! Toy guns, little wooden sticks… Each and every one of them is a deadly weapon! Ruan Mei could easily take one and insert it into our windpipe, and we’d be done for! The risk of death is inevitable.”

“All in all, the risks tonight compared to last night are on a completely different level. We have to leave!”

While Ke Er and Ke San were chatting privately, Zhou Qian glanced at them and took the initiative to speak up, rather rudely, “You guys really are wallflowers, huh?”

Seeing everyone looking over, Zhou Qian continued, “This morning at Ke Zheng’s house, based on how you acted in front of us… I thought you’d start treating me as your big brother from then on. But now…

“What are you doing? It was clearly my idea to leave with the NPCs and avoid the risk of death, but judging by your behavior, are you trying to snatch this opportunity away from me?”

This time, instead of pushing Ke San to the forefront, Ke Er finally stepped forward and said to everyone, “We need to immediately choose two people who can leave. If we delay too much, Ruan Mei won’t let any of us go. If that happens, no one will have a chance to leave. Why should it come to that? Those who stay and those who leave should communicate with each other. Cooperation for mutual benefit is the right way!”

“Oh? How do you propose we choose then? What’s fair?” Zhou Qian asked.

Ke Er then pulled out a deck of cards and said, “This is a standard deck of cards. It has two jokers in it.”

“To be fair, each of us will draw a card in turn. The two who draw the jokers will be the ones to go. If someone draws both jokers, then they can choose another person to leave with them.”

Apparently fearing the others wouldn’t agree, Ke Er quickly emphasized, “We have no skills right now, and any mildly offensive or defensive items are completely unusable. Fighting or arguing will be pointless and a waste of time. Drawing cards is the fairest way. Let’s settle this quickly and leave it to fate!”

Upon hearing Ke Er’s words, the gamblers in the virtual gaming hall all burst out laughing.

“Ke Er is kind of hilarious. He wants to play cards with Qian Ge?”

“Yeah, which is why I say, players should come here and watch the newbie videos!”

“Do you think he might cheat? Oh my god, is there really someone out there who doesn’t know how fast Qian Ge’s hands are?”

“I’m just waiting to see Ke Er get slapped in the face!”

Inside the game, Zhou Qian was completely unaware of the gamblers’ live discussions. However, he readily agreed to Ke Er’s suggestion. Since he agreed, Bai Zhou naturally agreed as well. Ke Er and Ke San were the initiators of this “draw the joker” game, so Ke Si and Ke Shi, the remaining two, had no choice but to reluctantly participate.

Without any ceremony, the six of them sat in a circle, and Ke Er placed the deck of cards in the middle, saying, “Anyone can draw first.”

“Hold on, I want to check the cards and your sleeves first. Who knows if you’ll try to cheat?” Zhou Qian said.

Ke Er laughed and simply took off his upper garment, baring his torso, saying, “Are you satisfied now?”

Zhou Qian didn’t respond to him directly but took the deck to flip through it, counted the cards, shuffled them a few times, and placed them back. He then looked at the other two. “You two should also shuffle. That’s the only way it’ll be truly fair.”

Upon hearing this, Ke Si and Ke Shi did indeed each take the deck, shuffling and counting to ensure it was a standard, unaltered deck of cards, before placing it back in the center of their circle.

Then, the six players were about to take turns drawing cards. Zhou Qian yawned and handed an orange to Bai Zhou. “Brother, can you peel this orange for me?”

Bai Zhou looked at him and, pretending to be unaware of his intentions, replied, “Peeling an orange can make your hands sticky, which might affect drawing cards—”

“I can draw for both of us!” Zhou Qian interrupted.

With that, there were really only five participants in the game.

The five took turns drawing a card and placing it in front of themselves. When it was Zhou Qian’s turn, he drew one for himself and then another for Bai Zhou, effectively taking Bai Zhou’s place in the “draw the joker” mini-game.

Throughout the process, Bai Zhou sat calmly next to Zhou Qian, steadily peeling an orange for him. Every time Bai Zhou took out a segment of the orange, he would meticulously remove the white pith, since Zhou Qian disliked the bitterness.

Seeing this, the gamblers began another discussion.

“You see, today they had two meals together, and this ​[137] helped Zhou Qian peel shrimp, pick out snail meat, cut fruit, pour water… At first, the other four were quite surprised. But now they’re not!”

“Oh! So we misunderstood Qian Ge! I really thought he was love-struck and in a relationship. Turns out it’s a strategy!”

“What strategy? I don’t get it.”

“Look, Zhou Qian is now using the excuse of eating an orange, letting ​[137]​ peel it for him. The real intention is to control the cards for both of them. This way, when he cheats, he has more control. Watch, he’ll definitely get both jokers!”

“I see! I understand now. If they were directly peeling and feeding oranges at this moment, the other players would definitely find it odd and suspect Zhou Qian.”

“But since they’ve already set the precedent during lunch and dinner… now their actions don’t seem out of place! So, no one suspects Qian Ge of cheating!”

“Exactly!”

“It seems we misunderstood Qian Ge. He wants to play the game properly. He wasn’t thinking about romance.”

“We overthought! We shouldn’t think too much!”

However, two minutes later…

“What… what happened?”

“What?! Did I see it wrong? How are both jokers in Ke Er’s hand?!”

“Dang! Qian Ge’s strategy must have been there! Where did it go wrong?”

“Qian Ge’s strategy must have been right. Could it be… Ke Er is even better at cheating?”

“Geez… did Qian Ge meet his match?”

Outside the game, the gamblers were filled with anxiety. Inside the game, Zhou Qian’s expression turned serious.

Having just eaten a segment of orange, when everyone revealed their cards and saw that Ke Er had both jokers, his face seemed to say, “This orange suddenly doesn’t taste so good.”

Ke Er kept the bigger joker for himself and naturally passed the smaller one to Ke San. He then stood up, bowed to everyone, and said, “Sorry. We will now wait for the driver. You all be careful tonight. You can still make it through. Hopefully, we’ll meet in other exhibition halls.”

Suddenly angered, Zhou Qian threw the remaining orange on the ground, shouting, “You definitely cheated! How could both jokers be with you?”

His face went pale, as if things had completely taken an unexpected turn.

Ke Er looked at him calmly. “Going downhill is just one way to escape. What are you afraid of? Does staying here really mean waiting for death?”

“You—!” Zhou Qian rushed forward, seemingly wanting to pick a fight with Ke Er. But Bai Zhou quickly stepped in to hold him back.

Zhou Qian’s actions seemingly affirmed Ke Er’s words.

Staying here was tantamount to waiting for death.

Seeing his actions, Ke Er took a deep breath, even more convinced that leaving was the right choice. As Ke Er turned to leave, Zhou Qian, still furious, tried to stop him again.

Bai Zhou wrapped an arm around Zhou Qian’s waist, preventing him from moving forward. “We all agreed to leave it to luck—”

“Luck, my ass! Don’t play the good guy here!” Zhou Qian angrily retorted, looking at Bai Zhou. “I don’t want to stay here! He definitely cheated. What about you… Ke Si, Ke Shi? Why are you standing there dumbstruck? Stop him!”

Bai Zhou continued to calm Zhou Qian, “Going after him now, even if you want to fight, is pointless. If we can’t decide, everyone will stay here. If there is real danger here, at least the two of them can escape, which is better than everyone perishing*.”

*The entire army wiped out (全军覆没) Idiom referring to complete annihilation/complete failure.

“You… You’re sick! Are you okay?! Is this how you play the good guy?” In his anger, Zhou Qian turned and threw a punch at Bai Zhou. “I might as well die fighting him! Who doesn’t know how to kill a fish and break the net*?”

*The fish is dead, and the net broken (魚死網破) Idiom referring to both parties are willing to fight to the bitter end, even if it results in mutual destruction.

“Zhou Qian, stop this.”

Bai Zhou didn’t argue. He just grabbed Zhou Qian’s wrist to prevent the punch.

The scene was chaotic for a moment.

Zhou Qian couldn’t catch up to Ke Er and Ke San because he ended up fighting with Bai Zhou.

The five-minute time limit soon arrived, and the driver, his friend, and the cook came out of the villa. The moment the driver pressed the remote to open the car door, Ke Er and Ke San swiftly opened the car doors and jumped into the back seats.

It was too late for Zhou Qian to do anything.

With anger in his eyes, Zhou Qian furiously stared at Bai Zhou and pushed him away. As the three NPCs got into the car and the driver started the engine, Zhou Qian rushed to bang hard on the car door.

Inside the car, Ke Er didn’t open the door.

He just slightly rolled down the window, and when he looked at Zhou Qian, there was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Ke Er said, “If you have something to say, say it.”

Zhou Qian glared back. “You definitely cheated. I can see it!”

“Mm, I realized from the way you shuffled the cards that you’re one of us. You wanted to cheat too. But so what? You haven’t outplayed me,” Ke Er responded. “Play fair. You still have a chance. Find another way to escape from Ruan Mei.”

Zhou Qian’s eyes reddened further, and he roared in disbelief, “You’re so cold-hearted. How many people have you killed?”

“Quite a few, I suppose.” Ke Er smirked. “In this game, whose hands are clean?”

“How many have you killed directly?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Sorry, I’ve lost count. Maybe around ten or more. Not that many.” Ke Er rolled up the window and said to the driver, “Let’s go!”

The car left, moving out of the villa’s illuminated area, and slowly disappeared into the night.

At this moment, Zhou Qian’s expression completely changed.

He turned around, contemplatively gazing at another car left in the courtyard. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned back to see Bai Zhou approaching.

Walking alongside the villa’s wall, half of Bai Zhou’s face was illuminated by the light, while the other half remained in the shadows.

Zhou Qian’s expression was entirely different from the anger he showed in front of Ke Er.

Looking at Bai Zhou, he smiled and communicated through a private chat tool, speaking in a relaxed tone, “Zhou Ge, your acting skills aren’t bad. Trained by the NPCs? After all these years, we still have that tacit understanding.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 79

The weather was fine, with clear blue skies stretching for miles.

The medium-sized minivan wound around the mountainous road in loop after loop. Throughout the journey, Zhou Qian leaned on Bai Zhou’s shoulder, appearing to nap, but his eyes were constantly observing the outside.

Ke Yun’s villa was situated at the mountain’s peak. Along the route, there was a desolate view, with no signs of surveillance cameras. This kind of place was perfect for nefarious deeds, where a body thrown into the water might not be discovered immediately.

Inside the virtual game hall, gamblers were discussing—

“Is Zhou Qian really asleep?”

“I don’t think so. He’s probably studying the terrain.”

“But those four guys from the ‘Invincible Legion’, after seeing Zhou Qian sleeping, also went to sleep.”

“Have you guys ever met people in school who claimed to always be playing around, even when they were obviously studying? Then, when others naively followed their lead and played instead of studying, they got poor grades, while the one who claimed to be playing topped the class?”

“Oh? So Zhou Qian’s planning to secretly prepare and then impress everyone?”

“Well, maybe not everyone, but for those four idiots who once threatened him, Zhou Qian might want to have a bit of fun. He loves playing with villains.”

“Yeah, I remember how he toyed with Zhu Qiang. If I were Zhu Qiang, I’d be infuriated.”

“So, based on Qian Ge’s previous implication, does he intend to recruit those four as his underlings?”

“But who knows what those four are really thinking? Wallflowers are the least trustworthy!”

“Right, Qian Ge will have to test them.”

“I’d advise them not to try any tricks. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to watching them seal their own fate.”

……

Starting from Ke Zheng’s house, the van drove for a full three hours before it brought the six players to their destination.

The villa was indeed built on top of a mountain, three stories high. It wasn’t luxurious in style but rather resembled the popular bed and breakfast of the time. The middle part of the first floor was suspended in the air, with the entire building supported by columns at its four corners, somewhat reminiscent of stilt houses.

Living here, one could enjoy the view of green mountains and clear waters at any time, making it a perfect vacation spot. According to the driver, Ke Yun built this house to relax on weekends and during vacations.

After the car stopped, the driver let the “children” choose their rooms freely. He helped everyone bring in their toys and clothes and mentioned that the cook would arrive shortly.

Zhou Qian was the first to get off the van, and he went into the house with Bai Zhou to explore the elegantly furnished residence.

There had been a murder at Ke Zheng’s home, and Ke Yun was very suspicious of Wang Mei. With the police frequently visiting Ke Zheng’s home for investigations, Ke Yun decided to bring the children to her own residence for some peace.

She didn’t dare to let Wang Mei, Ke Di, or anyone else visit. Only the children’s mother, Ruan Mei, was allowed to come and take care of them.

But what Ke Yun never expected was that Ruan Mei was the murderer. Nor did she expect that this vacation home she had purchased would become a prime murder scene.

By the time Zhou Qian had finished touring the entire building, the cook had arrived.

Catching a glimpse of the cook heading to the kitchen, Zhou Qian quickly followed her downstairs.

Bai Zhou joined Zhou Qian in the kitchen, while the remaining four members of the “Invincible Legion” cunningly stood by the door, listening to their conversation.

When they first arrived in this “instance” the day before, Ruan Mei was cooking, Ke Zheng and others hadn’t returned home yet, and the players had 20 minutes to explore.

At that time, Zhou Qian and the others looked everywhere but didn’t find any particularly significant clues. Zhou Qian’s only discovery was a photo album he had seen in Ruan Mei’s room.

The album contained photos of ten players, from their infant years to childhood.

Zhou Qian flipped through it from back to front, and when he saw Bai Zhou’s photos, he stared a bit longer, remarking on how Bai Zhou looked as a child.

The order of the photos in the album was strictly from “ten” to “one”.

However, pages before the section labeled “Ke Yi” were mysteriously empty.

Zhou Qian then wondered if the role Bai Zhou was playing as “Ke Yi” wasn’t actually the eldest. Perhaps there was an older brother or sister ahead of him.

The previous night, Zhou Qian had tried to inquire about this. While waiting in line for Ruan Mei to help everyone get washed up, Zhou Qian asked her.

Ruan Mei hesitated and said nothing, merely patting his head, which only fueled Zhou Qian’s suspicions further.

According to the driver, Ke Yun had invited her household cook.

This cook had been with Ke Yun for over a decade, so Zhou Qian thought she might know something. Hence, upon her arrival, Zhou Qian specifically approached her for information.

As Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou entered the kitchen, the cook smiled and asked, “Is there anything special you’d like to eat? If you don’t tell me, I’ll just whip up something on my own!”

Zhou Qian replied naturally, “I don’t eat onions, ginger, garlic, parsley, fennel, star anise, and the like. Please go light on salt and oil and make it bland overall. For fish, I prefer it boneless, and for shrimp, please peel them for me. Also—”

The cook looked taken aback. Then, from behind Zhou Qian, a player with the name “Ke Er” above his head said, “Maybe… just a touch of garlic could be okay?”

Ke San added, “Yeah, I saw scallops. How can you eat seafood without garlic?”

Zhou Qian turned around, looking surprised, and asked them, “Do you want to eat garlic, or do you want to stay alive?”

Ke Er and Ke San immediately responded, “Whatever pleases you, Qian Ge! Light and bland is good!”

After a moment, the cook said with a smile, “Alright, I got it. I’ll make sure you young masters are satisfied!”

Zhou Qian gave her a particularly sweet smile. “Thank you for your hard work!”

“It’s no trouble at all,” the cook replied. “It’s what I should do!”

Zhou Qian took a few steps forward and asked her, “Auntie, do you know what happened in our family before?”

“Previous events? You mean…” The cook looked a bit confused.

“I just can’t quite remember. Do I have an older sister or brother?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Ah? Oh, yes, you do. You have an older sister,” the cook replied, letting out a sigh. “When I was previously working at the young madam’s house… your parents brought you all over for a visit, and I saw her once. It’s such a pity.”

“What happened to my sister?” Zhou Qian inquired. “Auntie told me my sister became a star in the sky, but what does that mean? I count stars every night, and I can’t find her.”

With his emotive words, Zhou Qian was naturally persuasive.

As he asked this, his eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes shone brightly. The cook, clearly moved, with tears in her eyes, began, “Stars, stars mean…”

“Dad told us that children shouldn’t lie. So, adults shouldn’t lie either,” Zhou Qian continued. “What really happened to my sister?”

The cook sighed deeply and said, “Your sister, Ke Ling’er… She had a sudden epileptic seizure when she was young. They couldn’t save her in time, and she died. Your mother was devastated. I heard she fainted right there in the hospital. Afterward, the young madam came to your home and helped take care of all of you for quite a while. You were so young then, I thought you might not remember.”

“I see…” Zhou Qian, feigning innocence, looked at the cook for a while before asking, “Auntie, one more question. After already having so many children, why did my parents adopt others?”

“Oh, I heard the young madam talk about it,” the cook began. “Your mother is truly kind-hearted. Once, the Ke Corporation went to an orphanage for charity work. Your mother accompanied them and felt pity for two children, so she brought them home. It’s fate! Even without blood ties, they can still be family.”

“Did my dad fully support my mom’s decision to adopt children?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Your dad might have a bad temper and act like a young master, not liking house chores, but he truly loves your mother and is kind-hearted. When your mother brought it up, he agreed without objection. At least, that’s what the young madam told me,” the cook recalled with emotion. “That’s why the young madam always praises your mother in front of me. She often says that even though your mother might not have had the best upbringing or experiences, she’s a good person at heart.”

……

Ten minutes later, the cook continued preparing food in the kitchen, while the driver left again in the van, presumably to pick up Ruan Mei. Meanwhile, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou entered a bedroom on the third floor and stepped out onto its balcony, gazing at the scenery outside.

From their vantage point in the three-story villa, the main living spaces were spread across the second and third floors. Both floors had the same design, with a corridor splitting the living spaces into two sections: the west side facing the mountain and the east side facing the water.

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou were on the water-facing side. At that moment, looking up, they could see distant mountains reflected in the shimmering lake, bathed in sunlight. Such a serene view seemed entirely out of place with the impending slaughter.

“Our eldest sister is named Ke Ling’er. Her name ‘Ling’ actually corresponds to the number ‘0’*. This is a small trap set by the game designers, trying to mislead players into not realizing that there is a number before ‘1’, hinting that there was another child in this family,” Zhou Qian started. “Moreover, the cook just mentioned that Ke Ling’er had an epileptic seizure. Therefore—”

*Clarity: Her name is Ke Ling’er (柯玲儿). The [ling] (玲) in her name is a homonym of zero [ling] (零).

He looked at Bai Zhou and continued, “In relation to the exhibition hall, she should be Ke Xue, the girl in Exhibit 2 who was foaming at the mouth.”

“Yes, Ke Xue had foam in her mouth, consistent with the symptoms of a childhood epileptic seizure,” Bai Zhou said. “Perhaps in reality, Ke Xue, who corresponds to Ke Ling’er in our game, wasn’t killed by Ruan Mei. If it were poisoning, it would easily be detected, and it doesn’t match the ‘accidental death’ pattern seen with the other victims.”

“So Ke Xue died from epilepsy, a natural death unrelated to the murders. In our game, she’s represented as Ke Ling’er. After her, Ruan Mei began her killing spree. Meaning…

“This ‘0’, besides hinting that there’s another child before ‘1’, likely has another meaning: after ‘0’ died from illness, Ruan Mei began her slaughter, targeting us players starting from ‘1’.”

“Corresponding to reality, after Ke Xue’s death, which seemed like opening Pandora’s box, Ruan Mei began to gradually kill all the remaining children. But why?”

In a flash, Zhou Qian grasped Ruan Mei’s motive for the murders. However, he narrowed his eyes and didn’t delve further into that topic.

Pointing to the distant lake, Zhou Qian shifted the topic. “Next, we should try to predict the possible ways players could die. The suffocation death in Exhibit 1 already occurred yesterday. But this method might repeat, given that there are pillows in the house.”

“Besides that, there are now multiple ways to die, such as drowning. If I remember correctly, drowning is in Exhibit 5, right?”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Yes. From Exhibits 1 to 7, the causes of death are: 1. Suffocation; 2. Epileptic seizure; 3. Blunt trauma to the back of the head; 4. A hole in the forehead, possibly caused by a sharp cylindrical object; 5. Swelling suggestive of drowning; as for the last two—”

As Bai Zhou spoke, Zhou Qian recalled the conditions of the child corpses in the last two exhibits.

They were a boy and a girl.

The girl had wet hair and numerous swollen lumps on her forehead. The most peculiar thing was the scratch marks all over her face, arms, and thighs, which seemed self-inflicted.

However, the exact cause of her death remained uncertain. As for the boy, his hair was slightly wet, his face was flushed, and he was sweating profusely. Fresh blood oozed from his nostrils, still warm to the touch.

Regarding the causes of death for these two children, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou were still somewhat unclear.

The exhibition didn’t provide further details, and players could only infer from what was presented. After all, they weren’t forensic experts, and even if they were, they couldn’t conduct autopsies under those circumstances to find deeper clues.

“It’s actually quite challenging to throw a child directly into the lake from this villa. After all, the lake is quite a distance away,” Zhou Qian remarked.

“Therefore, as long as we decline when Ruan Mei suggests taking us to play by the water, we should be able to avoid the risk of ‘drowning’. Instead of water, we should be more wary of the causes of death in Exhibits 3 and 4, namely protecting our foreheads and the backs of our heads, especially avoiding ‘falls from high places’.”

“However, the villa is situated on a mountaintop, unlike a pillow that can be hidden. This geographical condition is ever-present and cannot be avoided by the players. We’ll have to come up with strategies as situations arise. As for the last two methods of death… I haven’t figured them out yet.”

“We’ll see when the time comes. But for now, it seems safer to stay in rooms facing the water at night.”

This so-called idyllic vacation spot by the mountain and water was practically a slaughtering fest for Ruan Mei. The seven corpses in the exhibition hall correspond to seven causes of death.

Even if they excluded the epileptic seizure from Exhibit 2, there were still a whopping six potential causes of death that players are about to face.

What everyone needed to do was avoid these six deadly risks entirely, especially when they couldn’t use any skills or props.

……

On the other side, the two players labeled “Ke Er” and “Ke San” met in a room on the mountain-facing side.

Ke San said to Ke Er, “Brother, we were lucky to have listened to you last night. Ruan Mei came straight to our room after leaving Ma Luoluo’s. If you hadn’t told me to hide the pillow, we’d be dead!”

Unlike his previous subservient demeanor towards Zhou Qian, Ke Er now looked extremely cold.

Ke Er didn’t respond, prompting Ke San to ask, “So, what should we do today?”

Ke Er advised, “When choosing rooms, let’s stay on the water-facing side. The balconies there overlook trees, and the water is far away, making it relatively safe.”

“This side, however, if you look out from the balcony, has large rocks below. Falling would mean certain death.”

“Moreover, we saw several swings in the backyard earlier, right? I suspect Ruan Mei could use those for her schemes. If she suggests playing on the swings, we must decline.”

“Brother, you’re brilliant!” Ke San exclaimed, rubbing his hands. “I’ve always said that big brother is poor at judging character. This is the best proof. With Ma Luoluo dead, you can take his place.”

“The boss always looks down on me.” Ke Er narrowed his eyes. “I should show him what I’m capable of this time. I actually have an idea—”

Ke San curiously inquired, “What idea?”

Ke Er laid out his plan. “If we can kill Zhou Qian, we’ll do it and then present his death as a token of loyalty to the boss. If we can’t kill Zhou Qian… then, after we exit, in the next hall, we can use Zhou Qian to kill the boss. Once Zhou Qian takes out the boss, we can then kill Zhou Qian.”

“That’s brilliant!” Ke San exclaimed, clapping his hands. “This way, not only can you become the leader of our legion, but you’ll also gain fame and earn the rewards from the Peach Blossom Legion!”

Gazing out of the window, Ke Er added with an inscrutable expression, “With Ma Luoluo’s actions, it’s actually quite favorable for us. Zhou Qian and that Rank God player 137, must think our legion is filled with idiots. Their underestimation of me is the key to my victory!”

……

3 p.m., downtown. The backyard of the Ke family villa.

Ruan Mei was in a very bad state. Her eyes were red and swollen, looking as though she might faint at any moment. As Ke Yun was trying to usher her out, she tried to persuade, “I’ve already asked the cook to go over. If you’re still worried, I can hire another nanny. Given your condition, it’s best if you don’t go.”

At that moment, Ruan Mei staggered, and rushing to support her wasn’t Ke Yun but Ke Zheng, who was holding a thermos. Holding Ruan Mei’s arm with one hand and the thermos with the other, Ke Zheng frowned and said, “Yes, listen to elder sister. What’s the rush? You haven’t even drunk the soup I made!”

Ruan Mei, clutching her husband’s hand and looking at him with love-filled eyes, inquired, “Did mom and dad safely reach home?”

“They have. Don’t worry,” Ke Zheng replied.

Ruan Mei smiled weakly. “It’s such an inconvenience for them and Uncle to come all the way just for me…”

“What’s there to it? We’re family, and it’s only right for us to support each other. You don’t need to say all this; everyone knows you’re feeling distressed.” Ke Zheng advised, “Really, you should rest.”

Ruan Mei shook her head and said with red eyes, “I can’t. Such a major incident has occurred at home, and it’s good for the children to have a change of environment and stay there. I truly can’t be at ease…”

After much persuasion from Ke Yun and Ke Zheng, Ruan Mei finally managed to convince them to let her go and take care of the children herself. Despite that, Ke Yun still had her own driver personally take her.

As her husband Ke Zheng personally opened the car door for her and helped her in, then closed it, Ruan Mei waved to him and Ke Yun, and said “Thank you” to the driver. She then lowered her head, burying her face in her hands.

As the driver started the car, he glanced back at her, thinking she was crying.

Everyone actually thought Ruan Mei was crying.

But only she knew that she was smiling.

How wonderful.

Now, everyone’s attention… is all on me.

They all care about me.

Ruan Mei thought with a smile—What could be more satisfying and joyful than this?

In just about half a day, her in-laws, neighbors, her husband’s business partners, and the ladies from other wealthy families, all of whom usually looked down on her, came to visit her.

They spoke words of comfort to her that they had never uttered before, gave her many gifts, and showered her with care and consolation. Her heart felt profoundly fulfilled.

In her everyday life, Ruan Mei felt like an “invisible person.”

She tried her best to fulfill the role of a “wife”, vowing to be a good mother and a loving spouse.

In other affluent families, the ladies would indulge in flower arranging or appreciate famous paintings and writings. She wanted to learn these arts too, but she often couldn’t grasp them and was frequently mocked for it.

Later, she decided to focus on household matters and have many children, hoping to gain her husband’s affection and her in-laws’ respect. But for some reason, it seemed everyone looked down on her even more.

Her children took her sacrifices for granted, treating her as though she were merely their nanny. Every time Ke Yun saw her, she would say, “A woman shouldn’t just be stuck between her husband and children; you should have a life of your own.”

Why? Why was everything she did wrong?

She was genuinely trying!

Ruan Mei had once dreamt of becoming an actress as a child, wanting to stand in the spotlight and captivate everyone’s attention. But she didn’t become an actress and instead felt overlooked by everyone.

She couldn’t understand—

She carefully took care of her husband, children, and paid attention to every relative’s needs. She put in so much effort; why couldn’t anyone see it?

Then, half a year ago, Ruan Mei’s daughter Ke Ling’er died of juvenile epilepsy. After that tragic event, Ruan Mei unexpectedly received an outpour of care and affection from everyone.

Everyone perceived Ruan Mei as someone who put her children above all else. They believed that losing a child would be overwhelmingly painful for her, and she might succumb to depression or even consider suicide.

So, after Ke Ling’er’s death, they visited her, gave her gifts, and expressed concern and comfort. Her husband, Ke Zheng, also began to show unprecedented care and concern for her.

In the month following Ke Ling’er’s demise, Ke Zheng would make breakfast for her, brew her soup, and frequently console her, fearing she might fall into deep sorrow due to the loss.

However, people’s attention was fleeting.

It had been six months since Ke Ling’er passed away, and the care and concern that everyone showed began to wane. Ke Yun started being patronizing again, behaving as though she was above her.

Her husband, Ke Zheng, reverted to being cold and distant, showing more warmth towards his subordinates than to her.

And then there was Wang Mei, who continued to act haughtily and bully her.

No, this shouldn’t be happening.

They should treat me as they did before…

Should the “accidental death of Ke Ling’er” happen again?

I’ll be… very careful this time.

About half an hour into the drive, Ruan Mei lifted her face, her smile now gone. She looked at the driver and said, “There’s a supermarket ahead, right? Please wait, my sons like to play with mushroom tacks. I want to buy some of these toys.”

“Madam, you’re so thoughtful for your children,” the driver remarked.

“It’s my duty,” she responded, momentarily looking distant. “By the way, after dropping me off tonight, would you like to have dinner at the house in the mountains?”

“Thank you for the offer, Madam,” the driver replied.

Ruan Mei inquired, “After dinner, will you be driving back to the city?”

“Yes, I need to go home. I have family to look after. If you need the car tomorrow, I can pick you up early in the morning,” he responded.

Ruan Mei, with a deep gaze, said, “I fear I might need the car tonight. Can you arrange for a friend to bring another car? Both of you can have dinner at the house. After eating, you both can leave together in this car, leaving the other one behind.”

“I just want to have a car on standby there. My son had a medical episode last night… I’m terrified it might be too late next time.”

By the end of her sentence, tears flowed down Ruan Mei’s face. The driver quickly responded, “Don’t cry, Madam! I’ll take care of it. You go buy the toys, and I’ll make a call. I’ll definitely arrange a backup car for you!”

The author has something to say:

Some comments from the gamblers that I didn’t include in the main text.

“Have you guys noticed another issue?”

“What issue? Hmm?”

“What’s the deal with Bai Zhou? The relationship between him and Qian Ge seems a bit strange.”

“Oh, you mean… No way, no way. Didn’t Ke Yuxiao and the others joke about Qian Ge having a puppy love? Could it be true?!”

“Damn, is there really a gay scenario happening right beside me?”

“You’re missing the point. Regardless of whether his love interest is male or female… this is not acceptable! My idol Qian Ge should be focused on his career. How can he be dating?!”

“Exactly! If Qian Ge starts dating, I’m going to stop being a fan. This would definitely affect his leveling up speed!”

“You guys are so dramatic. You’ve invested so much into him; can you even pull away?”

“Do you think Qian Ge might be deceived by him? I’m kind of worried.”

“That’s impossible. I will always have faith in Qian Ge. He can only deceive and play with others; it can’t be the other way around!”

“No matter who he deceives, the bottom line is, he cannot be in a relationship!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 78

Early the next morning at 7 a.m.

Zhou Qian was awakened by a loud knocking on the door.

Ke Yun’s voice rose—

“Kids, wake up! Something’s happened! Something’s happened!”

Zhou Qian yawned, rubbed his eyes, climbed down the ladder, and noticed the small wooden table had already been set with milk, bread, and even a plate of peeled shrimp.

He looked at Bai Zhou in surprise. “When did you wake up?”

Bai Zhou simply replied, “About an hour ago. I heard some noises and woke up earlier.”

“What’s the situation outside?” Zhou Qian asked.

“If nothing unexpected happened, probably four players are dead,” Bai Zhou said. “You go freshen up and eat something, and I’ll explain in detail afterward.”

Zhou Qian glanced at him and went out.

Outside, Ke Yun was knocking on everyone’s doors. Normally a well-dressed, graceful lady, she now looked quite disheveled. She had thrown a coat over her nightwear, and her socks were mismatched.

“Why is it so noisy so early in the morning?”

The words came from Wang Mei, who looked annoyed as she opened her door.

Seeing Ke Yun’s state, she seemed surprised. “Sister, what’s going on?”

“Stop pretending,” Ke Yun responded angrily. “The police will be here soon, and you won’t escape!”

“What are you talking about? What happened?” Wang Mei seemed genuinely confused and was also getting irritated. “You invited us here, and now you’re giving me attitude so early in the morning? Just because I respect you as my elder sister doesn’t mean—”

She was interrupted by Ke Di, who came out of his room.

After assessing the situation and noting his sister’s red eyes, Ke Di asked, “What’s going on? Where are my brother and his wife?”

Listening intently for a moment, Ke Di said, “Usually, at this time, my sister-in-law would be in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Why isn’t she…”

“I just received a message that said,” Ke Yun paused, tears streaming down her face. She took a deep breath. “Let’s talk about it downstairs in the study. I have questions for you.”

She shot Wang Mei a cold look, then said to the children, “Sorry for waking you up. Get ready and go to the kitchen for breakfast. Auntie… I… I’ll talk to you later.”

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qian deduced that Ke Yun had probably received a message via her pager, informing her that four children had encountered trouble. In her panic, she quickly woke everyone up.

But after awakening the children, she regained some composure and realized she didn’t know how to approach the subject with them.

So, she decided to first discuss the matter with Wang Mei and Ke Di. Evidently, from Ke Yun’s words, she harbored suspicions about Wang Mei.

Consequently, the three adults headed downstairs. The other four players, apart from Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, stood in the hallway, seemingly still unaware of what had transpired. Zhou Qian glanced at them but chose not to say much. He went to freshen up and returned to his room to eat his breakfast.

While Zhou Qian had breakfast, Bai Zhou narrated the events from an hour ago.

Ruan Mei woke up early, and when she left the master bedroom, her demeanor was calm, as if nothing had occurred the previous night.

She first went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and then proceeded to wake up the children.

After visiting two rooms and noticing something amiss, she rushed to the master bedroom to awaken her husband.

Subsequently, with tears in her eyes, Ruan Mei, accompanied by Ke Zheng, left the master bedroom and went to the two rooms where the incidents had occurred. She sobbed uncontrollably, nearly fainting, but didn’t make much noise.

After a while, when Ke Zheng emerged from one of the rooms, he carried one child and dashed downstairs. Ruan Mei did the same, but she was holding two children from another room. In this manner, the two of them, carrying four children in total, made their way from the living room to the garage. They placed the children in the car and drove away.

“They couldn’t believe the children had died, so they went to the hospital, thinking there was still hope,” Bai Zhou said. “Of course, Ke Zheng truly didn’t believe it. But Ruan Mei was pretending.”

“Hmm, your behavior as an older brother is also quite strange.” Zhou Qian teased while nibbling on a shrimp. “You watched as four of your younger siblings died, and you’re not sad. While the parents rushed the kids to the hospital, you calmly peeled shrimp for me in the kitchen?”

Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian for a moment before nodding. “Yes, we have limited ingredients. Make do.”

Hearing Bai Zhou’s response, Zhou Qian laughed and continued, “How did you wake up so early? I didn’t hear anything.”

Bai Zhou replied, “They were indeed very quiet. Ruan Mei’s portrayal of the perfect wife and mother was impeccable. Even when crying, she barely made any noise. When she and Ke Zheng went to check on the children, she quietly reminded him that the other kids were sleeping and not to disturb or scare them.”

“Hmm… so Ke Zheng never suspected that his own wife could be the murderer.” Zhou Qian observed. “But Ruan Mei’s mental strength is quite impressive.”

This story was designed as a game, so many details were altered, like the number and age of the children. But the general logic was consistent.

In the real-life story, Ruan Mei likely suffocated a child with a pillow during the night. Yet, the next morning, she pretended as if nothing happened, trying to wake the child. When she found the child unresponsive, she acted clueless and sought her husband.

She cried, shed tears, and was filled with panic and helplessness. She couldn’t believe the child had died and pleaded with her husband to take the child to the hospital. Even in the midst of this turmoil, she reminded her husband to be careful not to wake the other children.

Later, the already deceased child was rushed to the hospital by the couple. Ruan Mei might even have kneeled before the doctors and nurses, begging them to save her child, perhaps even kowtowing to them in desperation.

But in the end, when all resuscitation attempts failed and the child was pronounced dead, Ruan Mei collapsed in despair…

Under such circumstances, who would suspect Ruan Mei to be the murderer?

Yawning, Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou, narrowing his eyes slightly. “There’s still an issue—”

“What issue?” Bai Zhou asked.

“How could you hear such subtle movements from outside? Because of the enhanced senses of a Rank God player?” Zhou Qian probed further.

“Yes, correct. I’ve had training in this area,” Bai Zhou explained. “Our senses are much sharper.”

“I see… There’s Hidden Blade guarding He Xiaowei’s side, so he should be fine. I can’t contact him, probably due to some restrictions in the exhibition hall. Hearing you now, I feel a bit relieved,” Zhou Qian mused.

He glanced at Bai Zhou’s demeanor, wiped his hands, and walked over to him. With Bai Zhou seated, Zhou Qian adopted a dominant stance, looking down at him.

“What is it, Zhou Qian?” Bai Zhou inquired.

Zhou Qian approached and, leaning down, hooked a finger under Bai Zhou’s shirt hem, lifting it slightly to glance at his abdomen.

Before Bai Zhou could respond, Zhou Qian sat back down, nonchalantly remarking, “So, you don’t have scales on your body.”

Bai Zhou chuckled. “Do you want to see me with scales?”

Zhou Qian counter-questioned, “What was the scale you gave me for?”

Bai Zhou explained, “When we establish a one-to-one Shepherd relationship, it will come in handy.”

“I thought it was some powerful self-defense tool,” Zhou Qian replied with a hint of disappointment. He then questioned, “Giving it to me so early on, did you know I’d agree to be your Shepherd?”

“It didn’t matter whether you agreed or not,” Bai Zhou responded.

“And if I declined?” Zhou Qian probed further. “Would you have found someone else?”

Bai Zhou simply stated, “There’s no one else.”

After a brief silence, Zhou Qian, with a sincere tone, expressed, “Bai Zhou, the followers who consumed Epoh’s apple in an attempt to become gods went mad. The setting in that instance is a metaphor, right? The minds of Rank God players can also go out of control. Without a Shepherd to guide you, what would happen to you, Bai Zhou?”

Switching to a more serious tone, Zhou Qian said, “I’m not just saying this in anger. I’ve genuinely realized I don’t know you well enough. I’ve always thought you were a rational person, but now…”

“Zhou Qian,” Bai Zhou suddenly interrupted, emphasizing, “I live in Zone X of Spring Hill Mental Asylum.”

“I still don’t know what this game is truly about, but there’s one thing I’ve likely deduced.” Zhou Qian continued, “To the outside world, Zone X claims to house the most dangerous lunatics. But from my perspective, it’s a secret training ground for Rank God players.”

“Some people have died in reality, but their bodies are held in Zone X while their minds get trained within the game. There are no real lunatics in Zone X. It’s a diversion created by certain individuals.”

“Haven’t you ever doubted… maybe I am truly mad?”

As Bai Zhou said this, he fixed his gaze unblinkingly on Zhou Qian. His eyes were gentle like water, and his tone was soft. The breeze and sunlight streaming through the window softened his childlike features, but his words hinted at a hidden danger. It felt as if a trap was silently closing in from behind him.

Zhou Qian seemed stunned for a moment.

Noticing his expression, Bai Zhou continued, “Perhaps the Bai Zhou in your memories and I are two completely different people. How would you feel?”

Growing up, Zhou Qian lacked the love and care of his parents. Therefore, every act of kindness from Bai Zhou was magnified infinitely in his eyes. A separation of seven years only deepened Zhou Qian’s memories of Bai Zhou, with each recollection further amplifying Bai Zhou’s goodness.

If the thick layer of rosy memories were to shatter now, would Zhou Qian think that the real Bai Zhou beneath those memories had always been different from what he imagined?

“Bai Zhou, I have a sharp intuition about people. Saying I don’t know you well doesn’t mean my opinion of you will change,” Zhou Qian said with a definitive yet mysteriously alluring look.

“The more challenging the instance, the more I like it. The more complex the puzzle game, the more interested I am. So, this has become even more intriguing.”

“Zhou Ge,” Zhou Qian said, hinting at something. “You’ve truly never disappointed me.”

……

Five minutes later, Ke Yun gathered all the children in the corridor.

By now, she had changed into a dress, put on high heels, applied lipstick, and regained her elegant demeanor.

However, her tone of voice betrayed her unease. “There’s been an… incident at home. Some police officers will be coming over soon. For the next few days… you all will be staying at Auntie’s newly bought house, alright? Go grab some clothes and your favorite toys. In ten minutes, I’ll take you there!”

The one labeled “Ke Shi” asked, “Auntie, where are… Brother Five, Brother Six, Brother Two, and Brother Three…?”

At this, Ke Yun struggled to hold back her tears. Wiping them away, she replied, “Here’s the thing, Xiao Shi, siblings might start life together, but not everyone is fated to stay together. Some might leave us first and become… become little stars in the sky…”

If they were truly innocent children, someone would likely have asked, “Why did they become little stars?” But these children were fundamentally players, and they understood Ke Yun’s implication.

The remaining four underlings of Ma Luoluo, looking pale, instinctively turned their gaze to Zhou Qian. They seemed accusatory. However, when confronted with Zhou Qian’s intimidating gaze, they involuntarily backed up until they were against the wall.

Once Ke Yun went downstairs, Zhou Qian addressed them, initiating the conversation. “Did you ever expect that Ma Luoluo, who was hell-bent on killing me, would end up dead himself?”

“You bastard…” One of them stepped forward. “Was it you? Did you do it?”

Zhou Qian looked at him with pity. “I really wonder how someone with your intelligence managed to reach Rank S. If you just hung onto coattails or endlessly grinded to level up… then why didn’t you play it safe and progress slowly? Why would you dare enter such an instance? Isn’t that just seeking death?”

“Show some damn respect!”

As the person was about to shout further, Zhou Qian interrupted, “I genuinely pity you guys, being sold out and not even realizing it.”

The person paused, then demanded, “What the hell do you mean?”

Zhou Qian explained, “Why do you think Ma Luoluo and Meng Pingping chose different surnames but made all of us adopt the surname ‘Ke’?”

The four of them exchanged glances, looking bewildered. Zhou Qian continued, “It’s because Ma Luoluo, based on some clues, believed the murderer was targeting only those with the surname ‘Ke’. But he only shared this with Meng Pingping and not with you. Why? Because he wanted you to be cannon fodder. Got it? He never cared about your lives!”

They were taken aback, their faces pale. Zhou Qian added, “He thought he was smart, especially after seeing Wang Mei spend a long time in my room; he became even more convinced she was the murderer… but you saw the outcome, right?”

“I think the game’s setting maintains for three days, so there might be a limit to the number of murders the real culprit can commit each time. Otherwise—you all would be dead.”

As Zhou Qian emphasized this point, the one named Ke Shi’s legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.

With a cold smile, Zhou Qian continued, “To put it plainly, Ma Luoluo, that fool, lacks both intelligence and integrity. At a critical moment, he chose to betray you. Why follow someone like that?”

“Only I know who the real culprit is and how to clear this level.”

30 seconds later, once they had processed this revelation, the four directly knelt before Zhou Qian.

“Qian Ge, we were wrong before!”

“Please, show us mercy!”

“Please tell us, how can we escape?”

Zhou Qian showed no sympathy for these fair-weather* followers capable of killing for money.

*Wallflower that sways with every wind /fence sitter (墙头草) Metaphor describing someone who wavers between two sides without showing loyalty to either (AKA a flip-flopper).

After ridiculing them, he coldly said, “Alright, then let’s make a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“When we get out of here, if you come across your other boss, that bald man… you must turn on him and help me deal with him.”

……

30 minutes later.

Six “children” got into a minivan.

The driver was arranged by Ke Yun and said he would take them to her house first.

Zhou Qian sat shoulder to shoulder with Bai Zhou in the front row. He looked at the driver and asked, “What are the adults doing?”

The driver replied, “The young madam didn’t specify, but they have some matters to handle. Was your house robbed? I just saw the police heading there.”

Zhou Qian didn’t respond to that but asked, “Do you know our schedule for today?”

The driver said, “The young madam only mentioned that I should take you there first. Someone will arrange lunch for you. Don’t worry. Later on, your parents will come to join you. Rest assured!”

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged glances. Zhou Qian then asked, “Where is Auntie’s house?”

The driver replied, “It’s on the mountains. She bought it for vacation. The place is surrounded by mountains and rivers. The scenery is beautiful!”

Hearing this, a chill ran down Zhou Qian’s spine.

Surrounded by mountains and rivers, wouldn’t that make it easy for another “accident” to occur?

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 77

“Click, click, click…”

…

The distinct sound of high heels echoed through the corridor. Because of the vastness of the villa and the length of the corridor, coupled with the silence of the night, the sound even produced an echo.

Thus, each step, each echo, seemed to transmit a clear and forceful intent to kill in the darkness.

Inside the room, on a small wooden bed, the childlike Zhou Qian lay on his side, facing the child Bai Zhou.

The surrounding silence was almost palpable. After listening intently for a moment, Zhou Qian said to Bai Zhou, “Her footsteps lag half a second behind your heartbeat. It seems she walks with a consistent pace.”

It seemed that even Bai Zhou hadn’t expected Zhou Qian to be paying attention to his heartbeat at this moment. In the dim light, Bai Zhou’s gaze deepened.

However, he quickly sat up—the footsteps outside in the corridor had stopped. Three seconds later, there came a knock on their door. The knocks were heavy and frequent, as if the person outside was both impatient and angry.

Turning his head back, Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou lying on the bed. The moonlight from the window highlighted the clarity of his eyes. Contrasting this was a mischievous smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

It was as if he wanted to give Bai Zhou a heads-up about his playful intent as he asked, “Should I go answer the door?”

Bai Zhou simply nodded. “Go ahead.”

Zhou Qian got out of bed and went to open the door.

What he didn’t know was that in the virtual game lounge, in booth A711, there were many gamblers betting on him. Having been upgraded to Rank S, he was no longer the subject of bets from only low-level gamblers; many high-level gamblers had placed their bets on him.

On screen, Zhou Qian was unaware that he was being watched by so many. He was deeply engrossed in the game and, unknowingly, seemed to have developed a certain understanding with Bai Zhou.

But the observing gamblers didn’t seem to get the gist of their conversation, sparking a fervent discussion among them.

“Wait, don’t talk! Did anyone close the booth’s door? Check it! We don’t want other players to see!”

“It’s closed, relax.”

“Good. The main hall is open to all players. Who knows if some player knows that greasy Ma Luoluo? We can’t afford any leaks.”

“I’ve checked many times. It’s fine. Everyone, discuss freely. The soundproofing here is excellent.”

“I’m still not at ease. I’ll stand guard at the door. You guys continue.”

“Why do you think Zhou Qian wants to open the door? Who’s outside?”

“Let me think… The young assistant Zhu Zhu left. It’s unlikely she’d come back in the middle of the night. This is a large villa, with a big courtyard and security at the door!”

“Right, Ruan Mei always wore flat shoes. Sister Ke Yun did wear high heels initially, but she changed later. Oh, that Wang Mei! She didn’t change her shoes after coming in!”

“No. Regardless if Ke Yun and Wang Mei changed shoes after coming in or not, I noticed when Ruan Mei took the kids to wash up before heading to their respective bedrooms; both Ke Yun and Wang Mei had indeed changed into slippers!”

“Haa… But come to think of it, isn’t it strange? Why would a murderer wear high heels?”

“Since all the women had changed out of their high heels before going to bed, it means that the person now walking in the corridor put them on afterward. Why?

“Why would the murderer purposely wear high heels? They need to be stealthy, right? This way, she’d disturb people!”

“Exactly! Not only the heels, but her knocking was also quite audacious and loud!”

“Wait—could it be that the person wearing high heels isn’t the murderer?”

“Possible! We all trust Qian Ge’s intelligence. He dares to open the door, probably because the person outside isn’t the murderer.”

“If the person outside isn’t the murderer, then who is she? Why is she knocking?”

“Let’s analyze each possibility. If she isn’t the murderer… Ke Yun is a traditional well-bred lady, educated and very capable. She genuinely likes these kids, bought many toys for them, and put in effort to assist Ruan Mei…”

“Did you notice that when she was eating at the dinner table, she always kept her mouth closed while chewing?

“Someone of her caliber wouldn’t disturb children’s sleep by clicking around in high heels in the middle of the night.”

“As for Ruan Mei, she’s always worn flat shoes, even when working outside. It’s conceivable that she’s not accustomed to wearing high heels. Regarding Wang Mei…”

“Hey… temporarily excluding the possibility of a creepy man in heels, among the women, Wang Mei is the most likely candidate!”

“But why would Wang Mei do this?”

…

Suddenly, a deep and magnetic voice interrupted the discussions—

“Wang Mei is doing it on purpose.”

The person who spoke was Priest. He gestured to his left wrist, where there was no watch.

This gesture indicated that he’s currently not a player but merely a gambler. Without a watch, he couldn’t communicate with other players via the system, like Ma Luoluo, who intended to kill Zhou Qian. That was why the gamblers dared to let him stay here.

Priest continued, “You’ve analyzed it well. Which murderer would draw attention to themselves by wearing noisy heels before committing the act? She’s not here to kill.”

A gambler immediately asked, “You think it’s Wang Mei too? Why do you say she’s doing it on purpose?”

“Start the analysis from the Ke siblings. Ke Yun, Ke Zheng, and Ke Di are siblings. The Ke family is probably in business, given that Ke Zheng’s young assistant addresses him as ‘Mr. Ke’.

“But Ruan Mei mentioned that Ke Yun is about to become a Bureau Director. So, Ke Yun is in politics. Her career is probably separate from the family business to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. Otherwise, blending politics with business can easily lead to accusations of impropriety.”

“Given the lack of evidence, Ke Yun’s character is leaning towards an independent, strong woman. She likely doesn’t get involved in the family business or care about the inheritance.”

“Thus, inheritance disputes mainly involve the brothers, Ke Zheng and Ke Di. Their long-standing rivalry means they’ve always had a strained relationship.”

He paused and looked at the other gamblers, then said, “This villa belongs to Ke Zheng, not Ke Di and Wang Mei. Although we don’t yet know why they’re staying here tonight, it’s clear they came reluctantly.”

“Wang Mei is haughty and domineering, but she has her reasons. Ke Yun referred to her as a ‘Young Madam’. Given her status and Ke Di’s, she looks down on Ruan Mei, viewing her as a nobody who rose above her station.”

“Nevertheless, Wang Mei dares not cross Ke Yun. When Ke Yun reprimanded her, she didn’t dare talk back.”

“Now, with her high heels and knocking on Ke Yi’s door, it further corroborates my guess—she needs something from Ke Yun or is in some way under Ke Yun’s thumb. In any case, her appearance now is due to Ke Yun.”

He looked at the screen and concluded, “Wang Mei chastised Ke Yi at the dining table. Now she’s come to apologize. But it’s not voluntary. Ke Yun ordered her, so she had no choice.”

“She’s showing her displeasure by intentionally wearing heels. On one hand, she’s throwing a tantrum, wanting to wake everyone up; on the other hand, she’s subtly showing her anger towards Ke Yun—”

“You wanted me to apologize, right? Well, I did. What? Did I accidentally disturb everyone’s sleep? Sorry about that. I’m just doing what Miss Ke asked.”

Gambler A: “Damn, such a simple reason! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Gambler B: “It’s a mindset problem. Those exaggerated movies with femme fatales in heels have misled us!”

Gambler C: “That being said… who would kill multiple children? What’s the motive?”

Priest gave a mysterious smile, opting not to answer.

Another gambler chimed in, “What’s the deal with Ma Luoluo? Does anyone know his background?”

Priest’s eyes narrowed as he said, “Is there a need to delve into the background of a dead man?”

Gambler D: “Wait, what do you mean by…”

Priest said with a tone of disdain, “The current Rank S is too diluted. As the game matured, all sorts of people were elevated to Rank S. Such an idiot… daring to accept a bounty from the Peach Blossom Legion.”

……

Inside the game:

When Zhou Qian opened the door, he indeed saw Wang Mei outside, awkwardly wearing high heels along with her pajamas. Glancing at the other closed doors in the corridor, Zhou Qian intentionally raised his voice in a child-like tone. “Auntie, why are you here?!”

After this shout, the door to one of the rooms slightly opened.

That was Ma Luoluo’s room; he was probably watching what was happening outside Zhou Qian’s room.

Zhou Qian discreetly turned his attention back, tiptoed, and grabbed Wang Mei’s wrist with a very innocent smile. Wang Mei cleared her throat, reluctantly saying, “Is it Ke Qi? Is your brother Ke Yi asleep?”

“Not yet. I’ll call him.”

Zhou Qian smiled and turned his head to Bai Zhou, who had just sat up from the bed, sweetly calling out, “Brother, auntie is looking for you!”

Hearing this, Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a deep look before approaching Wang Mei. His gaze was cold, and he remained silent.

Only when Wang Mei saw him did she say, “Ke Yi, you scored well on your test, and I should congratulate you. I was wrong at dinner today, and I’ve come to apologize.”

Bai Zhou simply nodded, not uttering a word.

Zhou Qian, on the other hand, tightened his grip on Wang Mei’s wrist and exchanged a glance with Bai Zhou. In perfect coordination, the two pulled Wang Mei into the room and swiftly closed the door behind her. Their actions were so seamless that anyone in the corridor would have assumed Wang Mei had entered on her own accord.

Once inside, Wang Mei seemed a bit surprised.

“What are you guys up to?”

Zhou Qian questioned her, “Did Auntie send you?”

Wang Mei became uneasy and coldly replied, “I don’t know if she’s awake… anyway. Tomorrow morning, if she asks, remember to tell her I’ve apologized.”

Zhou Qian immediately retorted, “No. We won’t.”

“You—?!” Wang Mei frowned. “What’s wrong with you, kid?”

Zhou Qian replied, “We are a little scared and wanted you to tell us a story to put us to sleep.”

“I’ve never even told my own son a story; why would I tell you?” Wang Mei complained, turning to leave.

Zhou Qian quickly responded, “Then I’ll go complain to Auntie right now and tell her you bullied us!”

“You…!” Wang Mei glared at Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian continued, “You clearly don’t like my dad, yet you come here for dinner and stay over… Why? Did Auntie ask you to?”

Wang Mei coldly retorted, “I think Ke Yun, used to being a leader at her workplace, loves controlling everyone. She’s got issues!

“After years of disputes with your dad, there’s finally a resolution. Now he manages the factory here, and we take over the one in the neighboring city. Everyone should go their separate ways! But what does Ke Yun want? She insists on us visiting every six months for three days, hoping to reconcile their brotherly bond. Isn’t she crazy? Damn it—”

“If it weren’t for my family’s company being under her jurisdiction… I wouldn’t… never mind.”

“Ugh, why am I telling all this to a kid like you? You wouldn’t understand,” Wang Mei grumbled, looking at Zhou Qian. “Don’t dare tell your aunt what I just said, or I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Zhou Qian simply responded, “Stay and tell me a story, and I won’t tell Auntie!”

……

One hour later.

Wang Mei, who had been having a petty quarrel with the two kids, had fallen asleep. Forced into submission, she had no choice but to stay. She half-heartedly told a story to Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, as they had asked.

Later, feeling sleepy, she took a small blanket to cover her knees and drifted off to sleep, leaning against a cushion by the wooden bed.

Suddenly, there was a noise outside.

The doorknob was turning.

They’re here.

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged a glance, went to the wooden bed, and picked up two pillows. They hid them in the nearby children’s wardrobe.

Bai Zhou did the same with two quilts. After doing this, they sat side by side on the bed, waiting to see if the person arriving was who they suspected.

While Wang Mei was half-heartedly telling her story, the two listening were also distracted as they were communicating through the private chat.

Zhou Qian said, “From the motive of murder, only Wang Mei and Ke Di have a slight intent to kill. But if I were them, I wouldn’t choose to kill a child from a relative’s house with whom I have disputes during a visit. This would only draw suspicion. Also, this seems to be a serial murder case with a long time interval.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “If many children died at once, their cause of death would likely be similar, but that’s not the case here.”

In Exhibition Hall A, there were seven bodies.

Considering a single killer, there were two possibilities: First, the killer murdered all the children at once; second, this was a serial murder case with a significant interval between each death.

Visiting the exhibition hall revealed that the deaths of the seven children were varied. One child seemed to have suffocated, while a girl had foam in her mouth as if she had died from an epileptic seizure. The other five had various injuries, from head wounds to gaping holes…

If there was only one murderer, killing seven children at once wouldn’t be easy. They would most likely use poison. Hence, the children’s cause of death would be consistent, not varied like this.

Therefore, the possibility of the murderer killing a child after some intervals is quite high.

Their only target appears to be the children of the Ke family. There was no other ritualistic indication, no marks on the corpses, and they didn’t seem to be fixated on a particular method of killing.

It seemed more like the killer, upon wanting to commit a murder, simply used whatever was handy at the moment.

Bai Zhou then said to Zhou Qian, “Now, we are in a VR game where the Ke family has ten children because ten players have arrived. However, the number of players arriving is random. So, compared to the real story, the game must have made many modifications.

“We have to survive here for three days to clear the game. So, during these three days, the murderer will kill. But in reality, there should be a longer interval between each child’s death.”

“Additionally, did you notice that the corpses in the exhibition hall are much younger than us?”

“Mm. In Exhibition Hall A, out of the seven children, most were infants, with only a few who could walk. Considering that after designing it into a mini-game, it’s difficult for babies to pass the level, compared to the real case, the average age of our miniaturized characters in the game has been raised.”

Zhou Qian said, “Mm… For more accurate information on the murder case, we must look at the situation in Hall A.”

“First, the children who were killed are very young—many of them are infants who can’t even walk.”

“Second, there should be a significant time gap between their deaths, which means the real murderer has never been caught, because… no one ever suspected her as the culprit.”

Narrowing his eyes, Zhou Qian continued, “Why wasn’t she considered the prime suspect? Because most of these children’s deaths could be attributed to accidents. The child with a head injury died from accidentally falling from upstairs; the children with a hole in their foreheads fell and hit a stone while playing in the backyard… And now, looking at…”

He glanced at the wooden bed, which was now empty after the pillow and blanket were removed, and said, “A fragile infant turning over and not being able to turn back, accidentally suffocating themselves, is also a very likely scenario.”

“So, if there’s a murder tonight, based on the state in which the corpses are found in the hall, it would most likely be asphyxiation.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “By hiding the pillow and blanket, we should be safe. Moreover…”

Smiling slightly, Bai Zhou added, “You’ve kept an adult here. Seeing someone present, she’s less likely to take action.”

“Mm. Wang Mei can’t be the true culprit behind these serial murders. While she could suffocate a child with a pillow while they’re sleeping, creating other ‘accidents’ would be difficult for her. Especially considering her poor relationship with the children, her approach would make them wary. The same goes for her husband.”

“In fact, from this perspective, both Ke Yun and Ke Zheng can be ruled out. They aren’t directly involved in taking care of the children and wouldn’t know the potential accidents that could occur, let alone exploit these ‘accidents’.”

“So, the real culprit… is indeed only one person.”

Zhou Qian continued, “When I initially ruled out suspects based on motives, I dismissed her.”

“I thought, due to her lack of education, she believed that after marriage, a woman should take care of her husband. This deeply rooted conservative idea made her believe that there’s nothing wrong with her and Ke Zheng’s relationship. If Ke Zheng openly had an affair, she might treat the mistress like a family member.”

“So, I still believe she wouldn’t kill her children, especially not her own.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Mm. It seems that she enjoys taking care of others. She wouldn’t kill out of fatigue.”

“Exactly,” Zhou Qian said. “Ke Yun suggested hiring a nanny, and they could afford it. Yet, she insisted on personally taking care of the children and cooking. She’s not killing children because she can’t afford them or feels too exhausted to care for them. It’s interesting…”

“I can’t even figure out her motive for murder.”

Hearing this, Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian, only to hear Zhou Qian say confidently, “This proves she’s even more disturbed than I am.”

……

Thus, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou unanimously determined that the murderer was these children’s biological mother, Ruan Mei.

Now was the moment to verify their speculations.

At this moment, the two of them were a few years older than the actual victims in the real case.

Judging by the real circumstances of the victims’ deaths, it would be too far-fetched to attribute a child’s death in a bedroom to something like “falling to death”. Therefore, the accidental suffocation of an infant or toddler seems most likely—for instance, accidentally suffocating oneself with a pillow due to failing to turn over properly.

This was why Zhou Qian had quickly hidden all the pillows and blankets.

Accompanied by the sound of the doorknob turning, Zhou Qian gave Bai Zhou a glance, and the two lay side by side on the bed, pretending to be sound asleep.

After a while, there was a creak as the door opened, and a silhouette entered.

Wind blew in from the window gap, rustling her long hair.

Moonlight illuminated her eyes, but it wasn’t bright enough to clearly reveal her features.

With another creak, the door closed.

The figure approached the middle of the room and then walked towards the bed.

“Ke Yi, Ke Qi, are you asleep?” she whispered softly.

As expected, it was Ruan Mei’s voice.

Hearing no response, she confidently approached them.

Reaching the side of the bed, she stretched out her hands, first placing them on Ke Yi, who was on the outer side, turning him over. Then she did the same to Ke Qi.

Finally, her hands searched around the head areas of the two for a while. Not finding what she was looking for, she exclaimed in surprise. Just then, Ke Qi suddenly sprang up and sweetly called out to her—

“Mom, why are you here? What are you looking for?”

Ruan Mei was taken aback, retreating several steps and falling to the ground.

To her horror, she saw another person lying on the other side of the bed!

That person was Wang Mei. She was awakened by Ruan Mei’s actions.

After yawning and standing up, she blinked in confusion, then approached Ruan Mei. Recognizing her, Wang Mei scoffed, “What are you here for? Worried I’d kill your son? Hah, so suspicious!”

Ruan Mei, trembling, struggled to her feet and, without saying a word, dashed out of the room.

Rolling her eyes, Wang Mei shouted at Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, “I get it! I scolded you at dinner, so you want to get back at me, huh? I’ve told my side of the story and apologized. You better remember what to say and what not in front of Ke Yun, or you’ll regret it!”

With that, Wang Mei also left.

The door opened and closed again.

Only Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou remained in the room.

Zhou Qian glanced at Bai Zhou, went to the door, and listened for a while.

After a moment, he said, “Wang Mei went straight back to her room. But Ruan Mei went downstairs and is now coming up again.”

“If what happened in this room had occurred in reality, Ruan Mei, having been caught in the act of murder, wouldn’t make another move so soon. But this is a game.”

“Unmasking her method and avoiding it is just our survival strategy this time. She failed in this room, and she might move on to the next.”

While Zhou Qian monitored the situation outside, Bai Zhou simply opened the closet and retrieved the pillows and blankets, neatly making the beds for both of them.

He then looked at Zhou Qian. “Mm, we should be safe tonight. Come to bed.”

Zhou Qian took a silent glance at the pillow and blanket on the upper bunk, then looked at Bai Zhou.

But in the end, he didn’t say anything, walked over quietly, climbed the ladder to the upper bunk, and laid down.

Ten minutes later.

Zhou Qian turned over, leaned out from the upper bunk, and looked down.

In the middle of the lower bunk, Bai Zhou lay with his eyes closed, appearing to be soundly asleep.

Feeling slightly irritated, Zhou Qian squinted and grabbed his pillow, reaching down to smack Bai Zhou on the head.

Bai Zhou, awakened by the pillow, looked up at Zhou Qian and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qian: “……….”

Bai Zhou: “Hm?”

“Nothing.” Zhou Qian said, “I just suddenly recalled a doubt.”

Bai Zhou asked again, “What doubt?”

Opening his mouth, Zhou Qian actually answered, “Among the children who died in the exhibition hall, some did not have the surname ‘Ke’. Ma Luoluo and his underling chose to be adopted, probably naively believing that the killer would only target those with the surname ‘Ke’. They thought the killer must have a grudge against the Ke family.”

“Ma Luoluo’s assumption was terribly wrong. But does the information about the adopted children having different surnames have another purpose?”

……

Elsewhere.

With the sound of high heels fading, Ma Luoluo closed the door, gave Meng Pingping a look, and smirked. “The murderer is indeed Wang Mei. She stayed in Zhou Qian’s room for a whole hour and has only left now. What could she have done? Only handling a corpse and destroying evidence!”

Meng Pingping was also pleased. “Even though her primary target is Ke Yi, if Ke Qi is also there, he would definitely be killed too! In this kind of scenario, who lives and who dies is usually revealed the next day. It’s a pity we can’t immediately know the result—”

“But anyway… Zhou Qian is probably gone! We can claim the reward!”

“Even so, don’t get too excited too early!” Ma Luoluo warned. “Everyone says this scenario is sinister. So, it’s definitely not simple. Since the murderer was easy to find, there must be a bigger problem elsewhere! We need to be vigilant!”

“But we’ve managed to get through tonight, right? Wang Mei has returned to her room?” Meng Pingping asked.

“Yes,” Ma Luoluo replied. “The murderer is Wang Mei for sure. So, we can use the others to extract clues!”

Just as they were talking, the door opened.

Someone walked in—it was Ruan Mei.

Their room lights were still on, so Ruan Mei immediately saw the pillows on the beds.

She smiled at the two children. “Were you disturbed by Wang Mei? I was worried she might bully you, so I came to check on you. Come on, go to bed, and I’ll soothe you to sleep.”

Ma Luoluo laughed. “Haha, let’s stop pretending. I know you, as an NPC, are here to give us clues! You’re not the murderer!”

Ruan Mei just gazed at him mysteriously, then grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bed. “Come on, let mom put you to sleep.”

“Ah, you really want to get into character, huh? Fine, fine, I’ll call you ‘mom’, okay?”

Ma Luoluo then looked at Meng Pingping, and they exchanged an amused glance.

Meng Pingping also called out “mom”, attempting to extract information. “So, mom, why did Wang Mei come to our house? She seems quite reluctant. Does she have a backstory?”

But just at that moment, Ruan Mei had already reached the side of the wooden bed. Suddenly, she picked up a pillow and approached Ma Luoluo.

“What… What are you doing?”

Realizing something was amiss, Ma Luo Luo’s face turned pale.

Suddenly, the watches on their wrists vibrated, and both Ma Luoluo and Meng Pingping received a message from the system.

[The key item determining NPC behavior this time: Pillow]

[The pillow is identified as a murder weapon. When stored in the room and seen by NPC Ruan Mei, it is determined that it can trigger a murder action.]

[Ruan Mei is about to kill “Liu Wu” and “Jiang Liu”]

[Warning: Players Ma Luoluo and Meng Pingping are in a specific game scenario where they cannot use any skills or items to escape.]

[The judgment will take effect immediately.]

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 76

[Welcome to the ‘Murder Case Exhibition Hall’, Hall A.]

[The intention of the exhibition’s curator is for visitors to confront the terrifying side of human nature, thereby heightening their vigilance and self-awareness.]

[Especially for those who have traveled from afar, ‘foreign visitors’, after such a long journey, perhaps you won’t come here a second time. So, in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the exhibition has specially prepared a unique experiential mini-game for these ‘foreign visitors’.]

[This is a special AR scenario, but your minds have been loaded into this mini-game. Death within the game means death in reality, so please take it seriously.]

[You have three days for this experience, and your goal is to survive until the end.]

……

These statements resonated directly within the players’ minds.

After hearing them, Zhou Qian felt like he was experiencing a recursive layer of reality. He and Bai Zhou logged into the major instance of ‘Blue Harbor City’ as players, and now they seem to be inside an instance within an instance.

In analyzing the storyline, the outermost layer of the “matryoshka doll” needed to be discarded.

That meant they should treat ‘Blue Harbor City’ as their real world, genuinely seeing themselves as tourists who have come from afar to visit the exhibition.

From this perspective, something seemed amiss.

The younger versions of themselves, the ‘mother’, and the furniture all appeared to be part of a virtual reality mini-game created by the exhibition.

If Zhou Qian were to identify a murderer in this space, the murderer would only exist within this mini-game, not correlating with the murders in the real ‘Blue Harbor City’.

So, what was the deal with the freshly dead bodies in the exhibition?

While Zhou Qian was pondering, a system prompt appeared.

[Please choose the name you’d like to be addressed by in this instance.]

Following the prompt, ten names appeared on the system panel, with eight surnamed “Ke”, one “Liu”, and one “Jiang”.

Zhou Qian didn’t immediately make a selection, but soon after, the name “Liu Wu” was grayed out. Subsequently, the ‘child version’ of the greasy-haired man had these two golden characters, “Liu Wu”, floating above his head.

This long-haired man’s real name was Ma Luoluo, who specialized in ranged attacks, primarily poison-based.

The insects and reptiles on the beach were his doing.

He looked gloomy, with dark circles under his eyes, probably because of his sinister skills.

Even as a child, he still had long hair, tied in a greasy loop at his waist, possibly hiding some concealed weapon.

However, upon entering the mini-game, all players’ MPs were set to zero. This was the system’s way of preventing players from fighting amongst themselves or challenging NPCs.

After Ma Luoluo chose his name, the next one to get a name was one of his underlings, a healer named Meng Pingping. The name above his head read “Jiang Liu”.

These two obviously chose their names for a purpose.

During this time, using a private chat item, the two were having a separate conversation.

Underling Meng PingPing asked, “Second Brother, why did you ask me to pick this name?”

Long-haired poisonous Ma Luoluo said, “Didn’t you notice? Six of the seven bodies in the exhibition hall had the surname ‘Ke’. It’s evident that this is a serial murder case! The murderer probably has a grudge against those with the surname ‘Ke’, aiming to wipe out their lineage. As for the child without the ‘Ke’ surname, that’s probably collateral damage.”

“I get it!” Meng Pingping laughed. “To survive three days here, the killer will only target those named ‘Ke’. By choosing other surnames, we’re not saying we’re 100% safe, but the risk significantly reduces!”

“Exactly,” Ma Luoluo smirked, glancing at Zhou Qian from a distance.

At that moment, Meng Pingping said, “Thank you for the heads-up, Second Brother! I owe you one! You’re always so reliable!”

“Heh, our legion has just been established. Those who came here, of course, are all my brothers. But under these circumstances… we have to prioritize. You just need to remember that I treated you well. Speaking of which—”

Staring at Zhou Qian, Ma Luoluo asked Meng Pingping, “Do you know about the virtual gaming hall?”

“Of course. High-level gamblers can’t come to Blue Harbor City, but they can go there. Many Rank S players also love going there to research videos of new players. Why?” Meng Pingping asked in confusion.

“When we took the bounty, we saw that the target was a newbie who just got promoted to Rank S, so we accepted it. But on the way to this exhibition hall, I asked someone who frequents the virtual gaming hall. My buddy saw a lot of Zhou Qian’s videos in that hall—”

Ma Luoluo said, “Heh, my buddy praised Zhou Qian a lot. He said that anyone who has seen Zhou Qian play in the virtual gaming hall has followed him. Of course, they also see him as a potential opponent. But now it seems…”

Meng Pingping, understanding his point, looked over at Zhou Qian and gave a cold smile. “This Zhou Qian couldn’t even see the surname trap. He’s clearly a noob. In my opinion, those Rank S players who mix in the virtual hall are all worthless. Why don’t they dare come to places like Blue Harbor City? They’re probably scared!”

“Exactly… The virtual gaming hall prohibits violent killing, but Blue Harbor City is different!

“My brother got into some trouble. In the game, he either enters instances to grind experience or hides in the virtual hall, never coming to semi-open places like Blue Harbor City. Why? Because he’s afraid of getting killed! Tsk, tsk…”

“Yes, you’re right. Those who hide in the gaming hall watching live feeds and don’t dare come to Blue Harbor City are all weaklings. They see Zhou Qian as a boss? Heh, it’s only because they’re too weak.”

Yawning and looking at Bai Zhou next to Zhou Qian, Ma Luoluo said, “As for the Rank God player, we’re even less afraid. I’ve heard their training system is just killing monsters and leveling up, over and over. They don’t understand the essence of this kind of puzzle-solving dungeon!”

Nearby, Zhou Qian stood quietly beside the sofa.

Seeing Meng Pingping and Ma Luoluo smiling at him, Zhou Qian also responded with a naive and bewildered smile, seemingly oblivious to their discussions.

Later, Zhou Qian noticed that Bai Zhou had chosen the name “Ke Yi”.

Looking at Bai Zhou, then at the system, watching the names become grayed out and unselectable, he casually took a name. Above his head, the characters “Ke Qi” appeared.

“Why did you choose ‘Ke Yi’?” Zhou Qian asked Bai Zhou. “Out of the ten players who turned into children, the names are numbered ‘1’ to ’10’, which probably corresponds to our birth order. I wanted to be the eldest*.”

*Clarity: [Wu] (五) = five, [Liu] (六) = six, [Yi] (一) = one, [Qi] (七) = seven

Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian and remained silent. Just as Zhou Qian was about to speak again, the system’s notifications disappeared, and the mini-game’s story continued.

At this moment, the mother of the ten children finally entered the room.

Her name was Ruan Mei. She was only in her forties, but she looked quite old, probably because of the hardships of life. She had many bags of groceries, showing her tireless effort in taking care of the family. Yet her face always bore a smile, appearing genuinely happy.

First, Ruan Mei made a trip to the kitchen and put down a bunch of things. She then came to the living room and greeted each child one by one.

She first approached Liu Wu and Jiang Liu, patting their heads. “Did you two argue with your brothers last night?”

With those two names above them, Ma Luoluo and Meng Pingping both looked at Ruan Mei with puzzled expressions.

Ruan Mei continued, “Although you two are adopted, I treat you both the same as my own children. I’m absolutely impartial! Don’t overthink. If any of your brothers bully you, come to me immediately. I’ll set them straight!”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian understood why there were two children without the surname ‘Ke’. They were adopted.

So, out of the ten children in this family, eight were Ruan Mei’s biological children, and the other two were not.

After speaking to the two children without the surname ‘Ke’, the mother went to each of the other children, gently patting their heads, her eyes filled with affection.

Probably the first thing she did every time she came home was to greet each child.

“We all need to get along well in this family. Ah, having such a big group of children, I am truly blessed.”

After expressing her feelings, the emotional mother went to the kitchen. Before leaving, she left a message, “Play for a bit longer, then tidy up the house! In about twenty minutes, your father will be back. He doesn’t like disorder; if he sees the house in a mess, he’ll get angry! Always remember that!”

Soon, the sound of clanging dishes echoed from the kitchen, accompanied by a bustling silhouette.

It was Ruan Mei, preparing meals for the whole family by herself.

Ruan Mei would be busy in the kitchen, while her husband was due to come back in twenty minutes.

Undoubtedly, this time could be used by the players for exploration.

Picking up on this, Ma Luoluo quickly signaled his group of underlings.

Zhou Qian noticed that their group of eight split into two teams: four went upstairs, and four stayed downstairs.

He nudged Bai Zhou with his elbow. “Shall we go upstairs and take a look?”

“Okay. Let’s go.” Bai Zhou nodded and went upstairs with him.

The ten players searched high and low in the vast villa.

Predictably, by the end of the twenty minutes, the house wasn’t tidier, but even more chaotic.

The male head of the household, named Ke Zheng, as Ruan Mei had mentioned, didn’t like a messy room. The moment he returned home and saw the state of the house, his expression clearly changed. Coincidentally, Ruan Mei emerged from the kitchen with a pot of meatballs and placed them on the dining table.

Ke Zheng immediately reprimanded her. “Why is the house in such a mess? How do you manage it?”

“I’m sorry, I apologize.” Ruan Mei quickly responded, bowing her head. She first took her husband’s coat and briefcase, hung them on the coat rack, and then brought him a cup of tea, bustling back to the kitchen.

Ke Zheng wasn’t alone. A glamorous woman in a red dress and high heels, with meticulously applied makeup, was with him—contrasting starkly with Ruan Mei’s housewife appearance. Just as everyone was starting to think that Ke Zheng had brought his mistress home, he told Ruan Mei, “My sister had an argument with her boyfriend and is upset. I asked her to come over for dinner and spend time with the kids. She’ll stay with us tonight. Please prepare a room for her.”

“Oh, okay,” Ruan Mei responded, unconsciously wiping her apron before continuing her way to the kitchen. The so-called “sister” shot Ke Zheng a disapproving look. Zhou Qian checked her information and learned her name was Ke Yun.

“How many times have I said that it’s not easy to marry such a wife? If your soon-to-be brother-in-law treated me the way you do, shouting and ordering me around, I would have broken up with him a long time ago.”

Ke Yun scolded her younger brother with these words, then headed to the kitchen, holding Ruan Mei’s hand along the way. “Let’s go, A’Mei. Are there any dishes left to cook? I’ll help you. I also bought gifts for the kids. They are in the car. I’ll ask A’Zheng to get them later.”

Soon after, Ruan Mei and Ke Yun quickly entered the kitchen to get busy. Throughout their time, snippets of their conversation floated out, reaching the ears of Zhou Qian, who was pretending to drink water in the dining room.

First, Ke Yun complained about her younger brother a bit.

Ruan Mei hurriedly defended him. “No, no. He might have a bit of a temper, but he’s perfect to me.”

Ke Yun joked, “Yes, yes, he’s perfect to you. He really loves you. Otherwise, how could you two have so many children?”

“Shh. Lower your voice. The children are outside!” Ruan Mei said, probably a bit embarrassed and her voice slightly shaky.

Ke Yun laughed heartily and said, “You really don’t need to be like this. You too grew up as the apple of your parents’ eye. Why do you serve him so much?”

Ruan Mei replied, “He’s the young master of the Ke family. He’s used to being served. I was born in a poor family. Being married here and not having to worry about food and clothes, I’m already very satisfied. In a marriage, someone has to compromise. He loves me, so I accommodate him. It’s no big deal.”

Ke Yun shook her head. “Even though he’s my brother, as a woman, I have to tell you, don’t put everything on a man. You should have your own career. Look at me—”

Ruan Mei: “I can’t compare to you. I heard you’re getting promoted to Bureau Director? You’re so successful! I really can’t compare.”

Ke Yun: “Didn’t you always want to be an actress? You can still try.”

Ruan Mei: “That was a young girl’s dream when I was twenty. Now I’m much older. Stop teasing me!”

“How am I teasing you? In my opinion, it’s never too late to pursue your dreams,” Ke Yun said. “I have a producer friend. I’ll ask him. Hey, we’re not asking you to play a leading role. A minor character is fine too.”

“Forget it. Taking care of this family is enough for me,” Ruan Mei replied.

“I really don’t know what to say to you.” Ke Yun shook her head, a hint of disdain in her voice. Then, probably tired of washing the vegetables, she added, “You do work, even though you don’t earn much, and it’s not easy. The Ke family isn’t short of money, why don’t you hire a maid?”

Ruan Mei responded, “I prefer to take care of my husband and children myself. I don’t trust others to do it.”

Ke Yun didn’t say anything for a while, probably feeling that she and Ruan Mei were worlds apart. After about ten minutes, she whispered, “Having seen you struggle over the years, I have to warn you. My brother A’Zheng… There’s a young girl at his workplace who’s been getting close to him. A’Zheng is honest, I know. But he might not be able to resist a temptress. Be prepared.”

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

Ke Zheng, the master of the house, was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper, not moving an inch, not intending to answer the door.

Ruan Mei, who had just finished cooking a dish, quickly washed her hands and hurried to the door.

Outside stood a young woman in a professional suit, her short skirt revealing a pair of slender legs. Looking at Ruan Mei, she said timidly, “I-I came to deliver documents to Mr. Ke. These are materials for tomorrow’s meeting. He needs to familiarize himself with them in advance for the meeting.”

“Oh… okay,” Ruan Mei let her in, then politely said, “It’s a long way here. Come in and have a meal with us.”

“Thank you, thank you, sister-in-law.” The girl didn’t refuse and entered.

When she came in, Zhou Qian noticed her message and found out her name was Zhu Zhu.

Upon seeing Zhu Zhu, Ke Zheng, who seldom smiled at the children, surprisingly stood up all of a sudden, waving at her with a smile. “Come sit down. What would you like to drink? Thank you for making the trip.”

“I’m your assistant! It’s my duty!” Zhu Zhu said, giving him a timid smile and then sitting down.

Seeing her husband’s reactions, Ruan Mei inevitably felt a bit down.

Ke Yun came out of the kitchen, grabbed her hand, and led her back in, raising her voice intentionally. “Goodness, there are so many butterflies these days, always sticking to people. Don’t they know they’re annoying?”

After this, due to the proximity of the kitchen, Zhou Qian overheard Ruan Mei complaining to Ke Yun, “Please, don’t speak like that. It’ll upset him!”

“You always indulge him too much, always bending over backward for him!” Ke Yun responded gravely, “Look, she even dares to come to your house!”

“I trust A’Zheng; he’s not that kind of person!”

“Yes, maybe there’s nothing between them now, but who knows about the future!”

At this point in the dining room, Zhou Qian’s expression darkened, and he said to Bai Zhou, “It’s like I’m seeing another version of my parents.”

Bai Zhou gently squeezed his shoulder. “It’s all in the past.”

“Yes. It’s all in the past. They aren’t worth getting angry over,” Zhou Qian remarked.

At this moment, the voice of the male host, Ke Zheng, echoed from the living room.

He beckoned to his sons, scolding, “Have you no manners? Why aren’t you greeting this sister?”

“This shameful dad,” Zhou Qian commented coldly. “When our real aunt comes, he doesn’t ask us to greet her, but a mere assistant, and he’s all energetic?”

Bai Zhou squeezed his shoulder again, trying to divert the topic. “From your perspective, who seems like the killer here?”

“At first glance, no one seems likely. It’s pretty strange,” Zhou Qian replied, scanning the room again.

The living room looked crowded because of the many people and the vast amount of stuff.

But it was actually a large mansion, luxuriously decorated. The dining room could easily seat twenty people.

In such circumstances, Ruan Mei, the mother, appeared like Cinderella, who married a prince, feeling inferior and constantly careful, thinking she married into wealth and needed to be cautious to maintain it all.

On another note, although the mansion was luxurious, the furniture was outdated. Take, for example, the TV Ke Zheng just turned on. It wasn’t a flat screen but an old bulky one, occupying a lot of space with unclear images.

Zhou Qian also noticed a pager on Ke Zheng’s waist, implying that cell phones hadn’t become popular yet. The setting of this story seemed to be in the late ’80s or early ’90s.

Turning his attention back, Zhou Qian said to Bai Zhou, “In this time setting, many naive girls like Ruan Mei might feel that way. Limited by her own knowledge and understanding, she doesn’t realize the imbalance in her relationship with Ke Zheng, and she wouldn’t think of murder due to this. For now, she seems to love her husband and children a lot, not appearing to be a suspect.”

“As for Ke Zheng, he might be a bit indifferent to his wife and children, but he too doesn’t have an obvious motive to kill.”

“As for Ke Yun, she and her brother Ke Zheng come from such a wealthy family… and judging by the way she speaks, she must have received a higher education. Thus, Ke Yun’s worldview is much broader than the average girl of this era. Her exasperation comes from the fact that iron cannot become steel*. Her feelings are simply born out of frustration because of unmet expectations, and for now, I don’t believe such emotions would culminate in murderous intent.”

*Metaphoric expression describing someone’s feelings of frustration or impatience towards another for not living up to expectations and not making any progress, eagerly hoping they will do better.

At this moment, Zhou Qian’s doubts were undoubtedly shared by Ma Luoluo and the others.

If someone was going to kill the infant of the Ke family tonight, the current suspects were only the mother Ruan Mei, the father Ke Zheng, the children’s aunt Ke Yun, and finally, Ke Zheng’s young assistant, Zhu Zhu. However, among these four people, none seem to have an obvious motive to kill.

After a while, Zhou Qian noticed Ma Luoluo and Meng Pingping staring at Zhu Zhu, probably thinking she, a potential mistress, might have a higher motive for murder.

Zhou Qian said to Bai Zhou using private chat, “I don’t think the killer would be Zhu Zhu. Look at how admiringly she looks at her boss, ‘Mr. Ke’. Her blushing, shy demeanor suggests…”

“Just as the aunt mentioned, she truly admires Mr. Ke. And he probably has some interest in her. But the two haven’t taken their relationship further. If they had been intimate, she wouldn’t be too nervous to meet his gaze, and even her hands would be restless.”

Pausing, Zhou Qian continued, “If she truly had intentions to be the mistress, she should be trying to win over the kids now, acting like a good mother. At this stage, she’s acting innocent, not at the point where the wife and mistress have open confrontations,  life-and-death struggles, or even thinking of killing the child in spite.”

Bai Zhou stood quietly for a while, looking at Zhou Qian. “So, what kind of novels do you usually read?”

Zhou Qian: “………”

A quarter of an hour later, dinner was served. At this time, two more suspects arrived.

They were a couple named Ke Di and Wang Mei.

Ke Di was undoubtedly Ke Zheng’s younger brother. Thus, among the Ke family adults, three siblings appeared: the eldest sister Ke Yun, the elder brother Ke Zheng, and the younger brother Ke Di.

Ke Di and Wang Mei seemed to be the most suspicious so far. Wang Mei’s glances towards the children were unfriendly, and her words were sharp during dinner, as if she bore a major grudge against Ke Zheng’s family.

During the meal, while everyone was chatting, Wang Mei suddenly became angry, standing up and slamming down her chopsticks.

Afterward, she glared at Bai Zhou and shouted at Ruan Mei, “Just because your child Ke Yi is top of his class, you think you’re so great? With your background, do you even compare to me?!”

Having said that, Wang Mei stormed out of the dining room.

“What kind of wife have you married? What kind of lady has such a foul temper? She has no manners.” Ke Yun directly criticized her younger brother.

Ke Di hung his head, seemingly not paying any attention. Seeing this, Ke Zheng seemed angered and left the dining room for the study, with his young assistant Zhu Zhu following him.

Ruan Mei looked a bit lost, but as the hostess, she had to clean up and appease the guests. She even made a cup of coffee for Wang Mei, trying to appease her. “Sister, I didn’t mean that. Why compare children’s grades? Our son Ke Yi’s grades are not as good as yours. Please, don’t take it to heart!”

Hearing this, Ke Yun, the eldest daughter of the Ke family, looked speechless, probably not wanting to bother anymore. She sighed heavily and left for the upstairs.

While the adults were in chaos, Ma Luoluo, one of the players, seemed relieved.

He communicated privately to his closest underling, “I told you. The killer is most likely Wang Mei. She’s jealous because her child isn’t doing as well as Ruan Mei’s son, so she takes it out on the Ke family’s children. That’s why she’s targeting those with the surname Ke!”

Meng Pingping added, “I suspect these two brothers have held grudges against each other for a long time. In their era, the winds of reform and opening up hadn’t blown for very long, so their thinking is still quite outdated.”

“Ke Zheng is from the main branch of the family and is set to inherit the family’s assets. His eldest son, Ke Yi, being the firstborn grandson of the main branch, is bound to be envied, isn’t he?”

“Ke Yun is the eldest sister. Women probably can’t inherit family properties, and besides, she’s already on her way to becoming a bureau chief, so she doesn’t lack money. She wouldn’t contend with Ke Zheng over inheritance. So, those who would want to cut off Ke Zheng’s lineage are indeed only left with Wang Mei and Ke Di.”

“Isn’t that right?” Ma Luoluo said, “The Ke family is rich, and Wang Mei probably comes from an equally prestigious family. They just like bullying someone of a humble background like Ruan Mei!”

Meng Pingping sighed. “It’s not easy being the daughter-in-law of a wealthy family.”

Ma Luoluo patted him on the shoulder. “Why the sigh? We’ve made a profit… Hahaha.”

He cast a sinister glance at Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, continuing, “Once we entered this mini-game, all our MP was depleted. Even a Rank God player is of no use now! Mark my words, Wang Mei’s target tonight will surely be Ke Yi! That Rank God player won’t escape!”

“Hahaha, once he can’t escape and we exit the mini-game, we can easily kill Zhou Qian and claim the reward!”

“Exactly as you said, Second Brother!” Meng Pingping quickly echoed. “We should be rejoicing. Haha.”

……

At night, the young assistant Zhu Zhu returned home. But the other five NPCs, who were also suspects, all stayed here and unanimously slept on the second floor.

After Ruan Mei painstakingly cleared away all the utensils and personally helped the ten children with their evening routines, Zhou Qian noticed that she was so tired she couldn’t even straighten her back. Watching Ruan Mei return to the master bedroom, Zhou Qian’s gaze slowly swept over the long, quiet corridor before returning to his own room.

The ten children stayed in five rooms. When choosing rooms, players were free to pick whichever they wanted without any interference from the system.

During this, Zhou Qian noticed Ma Luoluo took Meng Pingping to a room at the farthest corner. Wang Mei and Ke Di were staying near the staircase. Ma Luoluo probably considered them the prime suspects, which was why he chose a room as far away from them as possible.

Zhou Qian didn’t pay much attention and casually chose a room with Bai Zhou. Once inside and having closed the door, Zhou Qian turned to see Bai Zhou already lying down.

They were sleeping in a two-layered wooden bunk bed, with Bai Zhou on the bottom and the top bunk left for Zhou Qian. After lying down for a short while, Zhou Qian climbed down the ladder.

The young Zhou Qian had slightly chubby hands and feet. Holding onto the ladder, he stretched out his leg and nudged Bai Zhou’s leg. “You’re not seriously going to sleep, are you? Let’s chat?”

“Mm.” Bai Zhou looked at him and shifted a bit to make room.

Zhou Qian then lay down beside him, his eyes wide and curious. “Who do you think the murderer is, and when will they act?”

“Actually, the answer seems quite obvious now. But I have another question for you.”

Bai Zhou turned to look at Zhou Qian’s face, which was still boyishly round, just as it was the first time he met him. In that moment, the memories flooded back.

Zhou Qian currently still wore that flashy and colorful outfit, only a few sizes smaller, and his hair was vibrant and eye-catching. Bai Zhou recalled the first time he met Zhou Qian, who seemed spirited and full of life.

Zhou Qian had been dropped off by a driver in front of the school building. Even though he entered the classroom alongside a group of students, Bai Zhou noticed him immediately.

Now, he looked just as he did back then. Perhaps he wore such clothes and even wore a mask to blend into the city’s style, playfully concealing his identity so he wouldn’t be recognized immediately.

However, Bai Zhou knew Zhou Qian was always the easiest to spot among a crowd.

Zhou Qian always gave off a lively aura.

No matter how he dressed, walking in a crowd, he always stood out. But he was also elusive, slipping through fingers.

Because liveliness never stayed in one place, it moved with the crowd. And maybe by the time he managed to get close, the liveliness would already have moved on, leaving just a faint warmth that was hard to grasp.

“What do you want to ask me?” Zhou Qian questioned.

“I still don’t know,” Bai Zhou replied softly. “Which university did you end up attending?”

Though Bai Zhou’s tone was somewhat serious, his current voice was that of a child. Hearing this voice and seeing his face resembling a seven-year-old’s, Zhou Qian couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “Jinhua University.”

Jinhua University was the institution both Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou had agreed to attend together. In the past, whenever Zhou Qian tried to skip evening self-study sessions, Bai Zhou would often chide him, “Do you still want to attend Jinhua or not?”

Recalling these memories, Zhou Qian’s smile gradually faded, and he looked at Bai Zhou with a serious expression. Despite the childlike tone, Zhou Qian’s voice held a deeper meaning.

“Why ask that? Are you reminding me that you’re the one who broke our promise?”

As Bai Zhou opened his mouth, about to speak, noises echoed from the hallway.

“Click, click, click…”

It was the sound of high heels.

After giving Bai Zhou a profound look, Zhou Qian’s serious expression faded, and he changed his tone. “Actually, since the murderer is easy to identify, our mission in this game isn’t just limited to finding the culprit.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 75

Jin City. Room 301, Boxue Building, Jinnan University.

After finishing an elective course related to psychology, while other students left, Yin Jiujui stayed behind. She waited until the visiting professor packed up his notes and other items before leaving with him.

The two went to dine first, then headed to a psychological counseling office owned by the professor.

Familiarly entering one of the counseling rooms, Yin Jiujui settled onto a reclining chair she knew well.

Lifting her eyes, she saw the professor bringing her a glass of water.

His features were stern, and when he didn’t smile, he appeared quite serious.

However, in Yin Jiujui’s perception, the professor was amiable and never lost his temper.

“Thank you, professor,” Yin Jiujui said, taking a sip of water before setting the glass down and lying back.

The professor gently asked, “Did you receive the money?”

“I did,” Yin Jiujui responded with a smile. “Thank you. Can we finish early today? I’d like to visit my mother.”

“Of course. With a dutiful daughter like you, your mother will be very happy,” the professor replied.

“Thanks to you,” Yin Jiujui sincerely expressed. “Without you, I wouldn’t have had enough money for my mother’s surgery.”

“No need to thank me. If anything, thank yourself. Not everyone is willing to volunteer for my experimental projects. The compensation I offer is only fair.”

The professor then walked to a corner of the therapy room, where to Yin Jiujui’s surprise, was a piano.

He lifted the piano cover and began to play. As the keys danced beneath his fingers, a smooth melody filled the room.

Yin Jiujui felt her eyelids grow heavy. She closed her eyes and envisioned a classroom where a girl in a white dress danced. Sunlight filtered through the leaves outside, casting a dreamy aura on the dancer.

“Do you see her?” she heard a deep male voice ask.

“Yes, I see her,” Yin Jiujui replied, her voice distant.

“Who is she?”

“Meng Hui. She’s Meng Hui. My best friend since childhood.”

Yin Jiujui felt as if she was immersed in a beautiful memory.

“In the future, I want to join the dance academy and become a dancer! Jiujui, don’t you want my autograph? Once I become famous, you can sell it!”

“I wouldn’t sell it. I’ll keep it.”

“Jiujui, what do you want to become in the future?”

“Your bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard? You want to protect me?”

“Yes. You’re everyone’s fairy. We all need to protect you.”

But Yin Jiujui couldn’t protect her.

She heard the piano music suddenly stop. As the last note faded, Meng Hui, who had been dancing, fell backward into a pool of blood.

Yin Jiujui felt a sinking sensation in her chest, and her world began to spin.

Afterward, she heard the professor ask, “So, who killed her this time…?”

……

Spring Hill Mental Asylum, Zone 1.

Qi Liuxing, after taking a ceremonial shower and making preparations, also entered an instance.

This time, his goal wasn’t about deciphering clues but simply fighting monsters and obtaining items.

He mostly solo-queued for such dungeons in the past. Unlike Zhou Qian, who preferred intricate dungeons filled with hidden achievements, for Qi Liuxing, these were relatively stress-free. He paired up with Ke Yuxiao. Besides acquiring equipment, their primary goal was to synchronize their skills.

Ke Yuxiao’s flute play could amplify the effects of Qi Liuxing’s sword techniques. Once they mastered their synergy, they believed they’d be unbeatable.

An hour after entering the dungeon, with the combined efforts of Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao, the first mini boss was defeated, dropping two treasure chests.

Both of them opened a chest, and astonishingly, they each obtained a double experience card.

“Our luck is incredible!” Qi Liuxing exclaimed with joy, making some calculations. “At this rate… if we continue grinding like this a few more times, we both can advance to Rank S!”

Ke Yuxiao, smiling as he stowed away the card, seemed equally excited. “Indeed. I’ve heard that upon reaching Rank S… it’s almost like entering a new game. The experience should be entirely different. We can also get closer to the gods and attain what we desire.”

Qi Liuxing continued, “Yes. I heard Zhou Qian say he was going to Blue Harbor City, which is some kind of semi-open instance. It seems completely different from the ones we’re currently playing. Hmm… Once we level up to Rank S, we can go to Blue Harbor City to find him!”

Ke Yuxiao nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation. “I’ve heard of Blue Harbor City. Apparently, we need to buy an ‘entry ticket’ to access it. We can grind and gain experience while simultaneously putting up a purchase request in the trading hall.”

“Right!” Qi Liuxing said, visibly excited, as he accessed his system panel. “I’m going to the trading hall to place a purchase request now.”

……

Blue Harbor City, Murder Exhibition Hall.

This was a vast building with an irregular shape. Depending on the perspective, the structure presented different polygonal designs. The construction material seemed like some metal, shiny as a mirror, reflecting white light into various colors, blending seamlessly into the vibrant city backdrop. However, the interior told a different story.

Upon entering the exhibition hall, the only colors Zhou Qian could see were black and white. Accompanying the monochrome was an inexplicable chilly aura.

Soon after entering the main door, a corridor stretched out before him, long and seemingly endless, almost as if it led to hell itself.

All Zhou Qian could discern near the entrance were two doors, each illuminated by a light. One was labeled “Hall A” and the other “Hall B”.

At that moment, a female staff member emerged from the depths of the corridor. Dressed in a white gown with flowing hair, she moved silently, resembling a stereotypical ghostly female lead from horror films.

Her voice had an eerie undertone, chilling to its core.

After giving Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou a fleeting glance, she softly advised, “Please choose a hall to begin your tour. Once you start, you must see it through. No quitting halfway.”

“Is there a specific order? Or do we need to tour all the halls regardless of the sequence?” Zhou Qian inquired.

The staff member gave a slight smile, her dark, cold eyes glancing at him. “You aren’t from Blue Harbor City. Visitors like you must visit all the halls. Only the vacant ones can be chosen.”

Zhou Qian grasped her implication.

By “visitors,” she referred to players, while “locals” meant NPCs. NPCs were unrestricted, but once players began, they had to complete their task before they could leave.

“What do you mean by ‘vacant’?” Zhou Qian probed further.

This time, the staff member only smiled mysteriously, fixing Zhou Qian with a haunting gaze.

As Zhou Qian was about to question her more, three men emerged from Hall B. All three were NPCs. Like the previous trio of women, they were garishly dressed but looked rather pale and clearly disturbed.

“What’s inside?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Blood, flesh… It’s nauseating.”

“Why did we even come to such a place?”

“Hey, it was you two who wanted to build up some courage in advance!”

The brief exchange was revealing. Zhou Qian pressed for more details: why they needed courage, their origins, and more.

He learned that the three were students from Blue Harbor City’s Detective Academy, aspiring to be exceptional detectives. Hearing that an exhibition hall had opened, they believed visiting such a macabre exhibit would help them acclimatize to actual crime scenes.

But everything on display in this exhibition hall exceeded their imagination, so much so that they wanted to leave only after visiting Hall B.

The man in the red shirt shuddered. “The sight of my clothes now makes me want to puke. The scenes inside were too horrifying.”

Zhou Qian couldn’t help but stare at the red shirt adorned with stars and moons. The imagery against the red backdrop made it appear as if someone had drawn the celestial patterns in blood.

Zhou Qian wasn’t sure if he had a prejudice against the color red, which led to such feelings. But in any case, he found the shirt very uncomfortable.

“What’s really inside? Are the blood and flesh real?” Zhou Qian queried.

“I don’t know. Maybe animal blood and flesh?” the man in the red shirt answered. “Anyway, the corpses inside are too realistic.”

The man in the green shirt chimed in, “The corpses are uncannily lifelike. Not just their skin, but their expressions too.”

The young man in the green clothes quickly added, “The bodies look so real! Not just the skin; even the expressions on the corpses are so lifelike! My God, I made eye contact with a female corpse whose eyes wouldn’t close in death and almost peed my pants! It’s truly terrifying!”

The one in the yellow clothes continued, “At first, I thought they were wax figures. Or maybe some 3D realistic display. After convincing myself, I touched a corpse’s hand. Fuck… It felt like I was touching a living person, really! It was so damn scary.”

When Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou first arrived at the exhibition, they encountered three young ladies.

These ladies screamed as they came out of the exhibition and quickly left without saying much. The reactions of these three men after visiting the exhibition were clearly similar to those of the ladies.

They too felt that “this place isn’t good to stay in for long”. And so, they quickly stopped answering any more questions and ran out of the exhibition as if they were flying.

Zhou Qian caught a glimpse of their retreating figures.

As he turned his head, he met Bai Zhou’s gaze. Just then, the ghostly female staff member eerily reminded them, “Please make your choice quickly. You have 30 seconds left.”

At this point, she grinned as if she was hoping they wouldn’t make a choice—as if any violation from the players would give her the right to devour them alive.

Immediately after, Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou ask, “Do you want to go to Hall A?”

Bai Zhou’s suggestion was indeed good.

Although they didn’t know what was in Hall A, Zhou Qian knew from the NPCs that Hall B contained a lot of blood, which he didn’t like.

Zhou Qian smiled and nodded at Bai Zhou, asking, “Have you told Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei where we’re going?”

“Yes, they are on their way,” Bai Zhou replied.

“Then it’s perfect for splitting up. Let them go to Hall B first.”

Without wasting any more time, Zhou Qian quickly turned and walked into Hall A.

……

It was initially pitch black inside Hall A, but the room lit up as Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian stepped in.

The pure white light illuminated everything, revealing the details of the hall. The hall seemed smaller than Zhou Qian had anticipated. It was only after entering that he realized this was just one of the exhibition rooms in Hall A. Directly across from them was a sign on the wall that read “Hall A-1”. To the right was another door, presumably leading to “Hall A-2”.

In Hall A-1, everything was square and neat. There was no blood, no flesh, and no gruesome or horrifying props related to those ideas. The only thing present was a tiny corpse in the center of the room—the body of an infant—and nothing else.

But that didn’t mean the situation wasn’t eerie. Without vivid, visually shocking elements like blood or severed limbs, the mere sight of a pale, slightly purplish, closed-eyed infant lying under the blinding white light, looking eerily real, still made the room feel unsettling.

At first glance, it might not seem like much. But as time passed, in the quiet room with only oneself and a deceased infant bathed in an overly bright light, it felt like being judged… It would probably make anyone’s skin crawl.

Even Zhou Qian slightly frowned. After exchanging a glance with Bai Zhou, they both approached to examine the infant’s body.

The dead baby was casually lying in the center of the pristine white floor. A label in front of its tiny feet probably bore its name: “Ke Hua”.

Zhou Qian’s eyes scanned the name. When he looked up, Bai Zhou had already picked up the baby.

Zhou Qian’s attention was on Bai Zhou’s expression. Naturally, Bai Zhou was expressionless.

Clearly, he was a seasoned player. Zhou Qian subtly raised an eyebrow before focusing back on the infant. Then he heard Bai Zhou say, “The body is still somewhat warm, as if it died recently.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian reached out to touch the baby’s cheek, feeling its softness and slight warmth. Indeed, it seemed the baby had only stopped breathing minutes ago.

Its body showed no signs of rigidity, and the skin still felt warm.

Bai Zhou quickly undressed the infant to inspect its body. There were no visible external injuries. After checking, Bai Zhou dressed the infant again.

Zhou Qian asked, “Did you find anything?”

Bai Zhou replied, “The face and lips are a bit purplish. There’s nothing else. It might have died from suffocation.”

“Suffocation in infants is common. To determine if it’s a homicide, one would need to figure out whether it’s accidental or intentional,” Zhou Qian remarked as he looked around. “But considering this is a ‘Murder Exhibition Hall’, accidents can likely be ruled out. This infant’s death was the result of a deliberate murder.”

“However, naming this an exhibition hall is problematic. From what we see, it merely displays a corpse. There’s no murderer, no environment depicting the victim’s last moments… How is this a complete murder exhibition? Wait—”

Zhou Qian approached and took the baby from Bai Zhou’s arms, inspecting it closely as if trying to discern the details of its skin and hair.

“Those NPCs were right. This body is too realistic. It’s not a wax figure. Could it be made of some special material to make it look so real?”

Zhou Qian paused, then shook his head. “No, it feels completely human.”

“Yes, I agree. It’s a real person,” Bai Zhou confirmed.

“So what’s going on? Did someone murder an infant in the exhibition and then run away?” Zhou Qian felt puzzled, as this explanation seemed somewhat inconsistent.

Logically, the displays in an exhibition shouldn’t change in the short term. Therefore, the baby should remain here indefinitely. Hence, it couldn’t have been recently killed. Unless logic didn’t apply here and the murderer just left moments ago.

“It doesn’t make sense. Let’s check the next exhibition hall,” Bai Zhou said. As he walked towards Hall A-2, he glanced at his wrist and told Zhou Qian, “Hidden Blade and his team have arrived and are about to enter Hall B. We can ask about their findings later.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qian, seemingly lost in thought, chuckled.

Noticing the smile, Bai Zhou inquired, “What is it?”

Zhou Qian replied, “I was wondering why those fools who wanted to kill me haven’t found me yet. Hey, Zhou Ge, maybe this instance is challenging, and they’ve heard rumors, so they’re preparing before rushing in.”

Bai Zhou stared at Zhou Qian for a moment before proceeding. “The harder the dungeon, the happier you are.”

“Exactly. If I see through it and others can’t, then I have the chance to deal with them,” Zhou Qian said, narrowing his eyes at Bai Zhou’s retreating figure. “By the way, when you were an NPC, why didn’t you increase the difficulty for me?”

Instead of answering directly, Bai Zhou responded, “Wasn’t it in the second year? I was helping the teacher grade math papers and accidentally deducted an extra point from you. You were angry for quite some time.”

Zhou Qian immediately retorted, “Bringing up the past isn’t fun! I have a much better temper now!”

Bai Zhou: “I’ve noticed.”

Zhou Qian: “See? I told you!”

While conversing, the two arrived at Hall A-2. The dim room lit up upon their entry, similar to Hall A-1. Again, everything was immaculate, and there was only one lone child corpse, this time a girl around three or four years old. A preliminary check revealed no apparent injuries except for some white foam at the corner of her mouth.

After the inspection, Zhou Qian pointed to a spot on the floor and said, “Look there.”

Bai Zhou glanced down to see a label with the name: “Ke Xue.”

This girl also had the surname “Ke”!

Hall A-2 wasn’t the end of Hall A. They continued on, discovering a total of seven exhibition rooms in Hall A. Each room contained a child’s or infant’s body, none older than seven years. Six children had the surname “Ke”, and only one boy had the surname “Xu”.

There was no other way out in the 7th exhibition hall, so the two had to retrace their steps and return to Hall A-1.

At that moment, they heard a commotion from the corridor, sounding like many people were approaching. Before long, eight individuals entered Hall A-1.

It was the same group Zhou Qian had encountered on the beach—those who wanted to kill him. Among the group, the long-haired man was present, but the bald man was absent.

Zhou Qian surmised that after their group of more than ten people entered, they split into two teams: one led by the bald man went to Hall B, while the other, led by the long-haired man, came to Hall A.

The moment he saw Zhou Qian, the long-haired man sneered. His followers seemed ready to make a move, but Zhou Qian nonchalantly said, “This place has a time limit. You’d better check the exhibition rooms first. Also, you’ve come too late. I’ve hidden the key clues.”

“You son of a—”

An underling immediately stepped forward, glaring at Zhou Qian.

The greasy, long-haired man was much calmer now than he had been on the beach. He immediately reprimanded his underlings. “Let’s first go through all the exhibition halls together. This instance is very tricky. Don’t take it lightly.”

After the long-haired man spoke, seeing that the group of eight went to Hall A-2, Zhou Qian signaled to Bai Zhou. As they were about to leave Hall A to head to the corridor, another short-haired, red-skirted staff member suddenly appeared, signaling them to stop.

She had flaming red lips, dense eyelashes, heavy eyeliner, and an overly pale face, looking like another version of a standard ghostly figure.

“The tour hasn’t ended. You can’t leave,” the staff member said in a haunting voice.

“When will it end?” Zhou Qian asked her.

“Wait. Just wait. Once the mission begins, Hall A will be temporarily sealed.” The staff member laughed, revealing her white teeth. The lipstick smeared on her teeth made them look blood-stained, a sight that made Zhou Qian instinctively frown.

Meanwhile, the group of eight didn’t investigate as thoroughly as Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou did. They moved quickly and were soon back in Hall A-1.

Probably feeling the eeriness of the exhibition hall, they also moved to leave Hall A. But just then, there was a loud “bang”, and the door to Hall A closed.

All the lights went out, and the exhibition hall plunged into darkness.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Who’s touching me? Damn it, it’s not one of those babies, is it?”

“Third Brother, don’t scare me… I…”

“It can’t be… There aren’t ghosts here, are there?”

Zhou Qian, annoyed by the noise, whispered to Bai Zhou beside him, “If these clowns don’t get eliminated soon, they’ll definitely affect my clearing the level—”

But he stopped when he noticed Bai Zhou holding his hand.

“What’s the matter?”

“Something’s not right.”

“Where?”

As Zhou Qian said this, he realized both his and Bai Zhou’s voices had changed—they now sounded like children.

The lights came on, and Zhou Qian found himself in a large, messy living room. At the moment, he was standing by a sofa with a toy train in front of him on the floor. Bai Zhou was next to him, holding his hand.

When he turned to look at Bai Zhou, he realized Bai Zhou appeared to be about seven years old. Zhou Qian himself also looked like he was six or seven, barely taller than the nearby sofa.

In the living room, the other eight people, upon realizing they had become younger, began to scream and wail.

Zhou Qian, however, laughed and looked at Bai Zhou. “Hey, you were about this age when I first met you, right? I didn’t expect to see you like this again.”

Pinching Bai Zhou’s cheek, he continued, “Little Bai Zhou is so cute, and you still have baby fat.”

The door to the living room opened, and an aging, middle-aged woman walked in. “Children, Mom’s back! Did you miss me?”

“So… all ten of us are her children?”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian whispered to Bai Zhou, “Is this some sort of instance with super fecundity you see in literature?”

Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian for a moment, then asked in the same quiet tone, “What kind of novels do you usually read?”

Zhou Qian quickly responded, “Not me. My sick friend Qi Liuxing reads them!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 74

Not far across the street, the traffic light changed once again.

Zhou Qian lowered his head and noticed the flier in front of him had shifted in color. He casually accepted the flier and looked up, only to see a very short figure handing them out. The individual wore a loose, colorful outfit and a skull mask, making it impossible to discern their gender.

Seeing Zhou Qian take a flier, the figure gave a respectful bow as if to express gratitude, then turned and disappeared into the vibrant Blue Harbor City.

Zhou Qian glanced briefly at the gory flier and carelessly stowed it away.

He then opened his system panel and sent his location to [137]. Soon after, he swiftly left the intersection and headed directly to the “I’m the Prettiest Fashion Shop”, a route he had previously scoped out.

The proprietor of this shop wasn’t an NPC but a player, who warmly welcomed Zhou Qian’s arrival.

Under the shopkeeper’s enthusiastic recommendation, Zhou Qian bought the “One-Click Hair Color Change” tool and successfully dyed his hair silver. But it wasn’t just silver; the color was highlighted with hints of pink, purple, and blue.

Such flamboyant colors might seem over the top, but on Zhou Qian, it gave him the vibe of a “comic book hero.”

In this colorful city, the hair didn’t seem out of place and only made Zhou Qian look more handsome.

That wasn’t all. Zhou Qian also changed his outfit. He donned a loose white robe in Japanese style. After the shopkeeper used the “Kaleidoscope” tool on it, the robe looked as if it were splattered with various colors, so dazzling that it almost hurt the eyes.

Lastly, upon the shopkeeper’s strong recommendation, Zhou Qian added two ear studs and an earring along the cartilage of his left ear. These shimmered silver under the light, harmonizing with his hair color.

Once the makeover was complete, Zhou Qian purchased a mask that covered half of his face and left the shop, quite pleased. Once he returned to the main street, he seamlessly blended into this uniquely styled city.

Instead of returning to the intersection where he had agreed to meet [137], Zhou Qian, with his mask on, went to a café diagonally across the intersection. The café’s sign was a peculiar mix of green and pink, adding to the city’s vibrancy.

Zhou Qian went straight to the second floor of the café, ordered a strange multi-colored drink, and sat by the window. He then removed his mask, took out binoculars, and began observing the intersection.

It had been a full seven years since he last saw him after their separation in the first year of high school. What would he look like now?

Is he the one with the baseball cap? Hmm, it doesn’t seem like it.

The traffic lights kept changing, and pedestrians kept moving. The only constant was Zhou Qian with his binoculars.

While searching for Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian recalled a phone call he received three days prior.

It was from Situ Qing.

“What’s up?” Zhou Qian had asked her at the time.

“I’ve found Mu Sheng,” Situ Qing replied.

At that moment, Zhou Qian instinctively glanced towards the direction of the hospital’s Zone X, then asked, “What about him?”

Situ Qing said, “He’s dead.”

According to Situ Qing’s account, after leaving the instance “Flower of Evil”, she started searching for a new apartment. She planned to return the rental where she and Mu Sheng had lived together, seeing it as a final goodbye to those painful memories.

While she was preparing to move, she unexpectedly saw Situ Xue and Mu Sheng’s father outside the apartment complex.

Seeing Situ Qing, Situ Xue approached her with tears in her eyes, apologizing repeatedly. Mu Sheng’s father, however, just stood by his car, smoking a cigarette, with a deeply sorrowful expression.

Situ Qing couldn’t tell if it was because they hadn’t met in so long, but they both seemed to have aged decades overnight.

After experiencing the vision Zhou Qian had shown her, Situ Qing’s mindset had completely changed.

When she saw her mother, she didn’t feel anything; it was as if she was detached from everything she saw before her.

Situ Xue approached and hugged her, apologizing continuously.

She then began explaining, somewhat incoherently, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! All these years, it’s not that I didn’t want to see you. Mu Sheng threatened me. He said if I saw you, he would kill you. I’m sorry. I—”

Upon hearing the name “Mu Sheng,” Situ Qing instinctively frowned.

She then had a thought—if her mother truly wanted to take her away, she could simply leave Mu Sheng’s father and move to another city with her. In the end, her mother just couldn’t bear to part with her own life.

Suddenly feeling a burst of clarity, Situ Qing took a few steps back, avoiding her mother’s embrace. “Please move. I’m moving out.”

Faced with her daughter’s alienation, Situ Xue was momentarily stunned.

Seeing this, Mu Sheng’s father sighed deeply and approached with a weary expression. “We came to inform you that we received news of Mu Sheng’s death. He’s dead. I’ve been preparing for his funeral…”

Afterwards, Situ Qing found Mu Sheng’s death suspicious, so she called Zhou Qian.

After their conversation, Zhou Qian immediately contacted Li Xuehai, asking if there had been any new arrivals in Zone X recently. Li Xuehai checked and informed Zhou Qian the next day. “Yes, someone new did arrive. Apparently, his surname is Mu. I can see his basic information in the hospital system, but not more. However—”

“However, what?” Zhou Qian asked.

“One of the familiar nurses saw him and mentioned that he no longer has legs. His legs were sawed off,” Li Xuehai replied.

Now, it was clear—Mu Sheng had faked his own death.

Who did this and how remains a mystery. But what was evident was that Mu Sheng’s family and friends believed him to be dead, even witnessing his supposed “corpse”, when he was actually transferred to Spring Hill Mental Asylum’s Zone X.

Moreover, Zhou Qian recalled from Situ Qing’s account that Mu Sheng hadn’t been amputated. Instead, he suffered nerve damage to his spine and could no longer walk. But according to Li Xuehai’s information, by the time Mu Sheng entered Zone X, he had no legs.

What’s going on?

So…

Could Bai Zhou’s situation be similar?

Part of his body remained in reality, turned into ashes in an urn.

But what about the other part in Zone X?

What exactly is inside that straitjacket?

If Bai Zhou is in such a condition…

Can his appearance in the game differ from his real-world appearance?

If the real Bai Zhou’s appearance permanently stayed at 16 or 17 years old…

What will he look like in the game?

With these thoughts, Zhou Qian looked through the binoculars towards the intersection, spotting a figure amidst the neon lights. He was dressed in a simple gray-white casual long shirt, with neat short hair and a tall, slender yet solid frame.

This plain look should have been ordinary and refreshing, but in this world, it made him stand out, immediately drawing Zhou Qian’s attention.

Zooming the binoculars to focus on his face, Zhou Qian recognized the familiar yet changed features.

The distance between his eyes seemed slightly longer, his eye contours sharper, and the bridge of his nose more prominent. And his lips… seemed to have thinned a bit?

Nevertheless, by this point, Zhou Qian had wholly confirmed one thing—

It was Bai Zhou.

Staring intently at the person’s facial features for a good while, Zhou Qian zoomed out the binoculars, slowly shifting his gaze downward, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Then he pulled the lens even farther back, observing the whole intersection. The traffic lights at the crossroads were still flashing and changing, and the streets were noisy and bustling.

In the dynamic and chaotic scene, only Bai Zhou stood still.

Zhou Qian watched intently, noticing Bai Zhou occasionally glancing around, seemingly looking for someone. But he didn’t seem to be in a hurry and didn’t move from his spot.

After waiting a while, Bai Zhou raised his wrist, apparently accessing some system panel.

During this time, countless passersby raised their wristwatches toward him, pausing to whisper among themselves, probably surprised to encounter a Rank God player here.

Zhou Qian’s wrist vibrated with a notification, but he didn’t check. He just continued watching Bai Zhou through the binoculars.

After a while, Zhou Qian saw a man in a sweatshirt with spiky hair approach Bai Zhou. They clearly seemed familiar with each other and exchanged a few words. The spiky-haired man then looked around, seemingly also searching for someone.

Zhou Qian frowned, wondering who the spiky-haired man was, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. A familiar voice followed. “Hey, Qian’er! You’re here! We meet again!”

Turning in surprise, Zhou Qian saw He Xiaowei.

“You…”

Before Zhou Qian could react, He Xiaowei pushed open the window and shouted across the street in a loud voice, “Hey—! Master! It’s me!! I’m here! Guess who I found?! Qian’er?! Qian’er is here too!”

Zhou Qian: “………”

Could you shout any louder?

Before the people at the intersection could turn their gaze to the café, Zhou Qian swiftly did two things—first, he stored the binoculars in his bag; second, he put the mask back on.

Seeing Zhou Qian’s actions, He Xiaowei asked in confusion, “What are you doing? Cosplaying?”

Glancing at the food in his hand, Zhou Qian gritted his teeth. “Just eat your food!”

Having said that, Zhou Qian, from behind the mask, glanced at the intersection and saw Bai Zhou looking back.

After seven long years, in a dreamlike world, separated by a mask, flashing neon lights, and colorful lights, the two finally made genuine eye contact.

Looking at Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian’s memories instantly traveled back to that evening seven years ago after school.

Bai Zhou said “goodbye” to him and left without looking back. The young man’s retreating figure vanished into that dimly lit avenue, marking Zhou Qian’s last memory of him.

On that dim avenue, each falling leaf symbolized their parting. With the passage of time, they gently swayed, taking Bai Zhou to a place Zhou Qian could never reach. From that point on, life and death separated them, putting an insurmountable distance between them.

Until this moment, the memories of that dim hue transformed into the dreamlike colors before him. And Bai Zhou was walking through these colors, step by step, toward Zhou Qian.

It felt as if, after experiencing a parting between life and death in reality, they were finally reunited in a mysterious, unknown world.

……

Five minutes later.

Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, He Xiaowei, and Hidden Blade were seated at a dining table on the second floor of the tea restaurant.

Zhou Qian sat next to He Xiaowei, facing Hidden Blade, with Bai Zhou diagonally across. As the four of them dined, three remained silent, leaving only He Xiaowei chatting away.

“I must be incredibly lucky! I got the once-in-a-lifetime double experience card. Hahaha, otherwise, how could I have reached the legendary Blue Harbor City so quickly?”

“What’s up with your hair, Qian’er? And that mask. Who are you trying to cosplay? You seem so quiet today—it’s not like you.”

Seeing Zhou Qian not responding, He Xiaowei cleared his throat and cautiously looked at the two Rank God players across the table. He blinked, first looking at Hidden Blade, and said in a flattering tone, “Um, Master… hehe, thank you for personally taking me on an instance run. The person next to you is…?”

Hidden Blade frowned, playing the role of a stern master, and scolded, “Don’t ask unnecessary questions!”

“Yes, yes,” He Xiaowei quickly agreed, then sneaked a glance at the other Rank God player known only by the codename ​[137]​.

Damn… Some people just outshine others; it’s really infuriating. How can this person look even better than a celebrity idol?

He Xiaowei secretly sighed, realizing that this ​[137]​ seemed very aloof. He showed no emotions, didn’t speak, and was simply staring at Zhou Qian beside him.

Huh? Why does he keep looking at Zhou Qian?

Oh, I get it. He probably finds Zhou Qian’s outfit weird too!

Right. That must be the reason. Definitely!

I always said, Zhou Qian’s sense of style is seriously off.

If it wasn’t for his face, he’d look like one of those awkward dancers you see in the village.

But He Xiaowei would never dare say this out loud.

He just followed Bai Zhou’s gaze to Zhou Qian beside him.

He couldn’t help but sigh silently again; Zhou Qian was indeed acting very strange today.

He was staring silently at the colorful drink in front of him; his only movement was stirring the ice with a straw.

What’s so interesting about ice cubes?

For some reason, He Xiaowei felt there was an eerie atmosphere at the table.

Trying to make small talk, he said, “Haha, these pan-fried buns are really delicious! Qian’er, do you want some?”

Zhou Qian just kept staring at the ice cubes in his drink. “I don’t eat fried food.”

“Huh? This isn’t really fried, is it? But you’re quite particular, huh? Oh, haha—”

He Xiaowei cleared his throat awkwardly, then looked at Hidden Blade. “When I came to the second-floor dining area earlier, I saw a familiar figure from behind. I thought to myself, it couldn’t be Qian’er, could it? Haha, how did we just bump into each other in such a huge crowd?”

“Heh, I approached and tapped him on the shoulder, and who would’ve guessed! It really was Qian’er!”

“Our bond isn’t just deep; we’re like brothers! Even with that get-up, I recognized him instantly.”

“Speaking of which, I have no idea why he was by the window with binoculars—Ow, ow, ow!”

He Xiaowei’s outbursts immediately drew the attention of others in the restaurant.

He quickly clasped his hands in apology to those around, then looked at Zhou Qian, a bit aggrieved. “Why did you pinch me?”

“Because you talk too much,” Zhou Qian responded, picking up a bun and shoving it into He Xiaowei’s mouth. “Eat your bun!”

He Xiaowei muttered under his breath, “Qian’er, your temper is getting weirder and weirder.”

“Oh, come on!” Zhou Qian said, looping an arm around He Xiaowei’s neck and squinting threateningly. “My dear Xiaowei, I’m just worried you’re not eating enough—”

Before Zhou Qian could finish, he heard Bai Zhou from across the table. “Zhou Qian?”

Zhou Qian blinked but didn’t look up, just staring at He Xiaowei’s face and responding with a noncommittal “Hm?”

“Do you want to go somewhere with me?” Bai Zhou continued.

Letting go of He Xiaowei, Zhou Qian finally turned his gaze to Bai Zhou. It was the second time he had looked at Bai Zhou in a long while.

“Where to?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Just follow me,” Bai Zhou stood up.

After a pause, Zhou Qian gave a nod towards the stairway. “Alright, lead the way.”

Blinking, He Xiaowei watched as Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian left one after the other, then turned to Hidden Blade in confusion. “Master, what’s going on?”

Hidden Blade thought, ‘Why are you asking me?’ but outwardly he maintained his stern demeanor. “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t.”

He Xiaowei: “…”

……

Zhou Qian followed Bai Zhou downstairs, out of the café, and into a narrow alley that led to its end.

The light in the alley gradually dimmed, but at its end, the surroundings brightened up again—just ahead was a vast deep blue sea.

Walking along the sandy beach, Zhou Qian followed Bai Zhou to the water’s edge. The sky was still vibrant, full of life and colors, yet this stretch of beach was eerily deserted, offering a rare tranquility.

They walked a long way, with Zhou Qian always maintaining half a step behind Bai Zhou. Eventually, the tumultuous emotions that Zhou Qian felt began to calm.

It seemed as if all his restlessness had dissipated in this place.

Throughout the walk, Zhou Qian didn’t walk side by side with Bai Zhou. After tracing their steps back and forth along the beach, Bai Zhou finally stopped and turned to look at him.

Zhou Qian looked up, meeting Bai Zhou’s gaze for the third time. He noticed that the deep black of Bai Zhou’s eyes seemed tinted with the blue of the sea, making them even more profound.

At the same time, Bai Zhou’s gaze was tender, just like it used to be, as if the seven years of separation had never happened.

Then, Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou ask, “Why the mask?”

Zhou Qian smiled slightly and responded, “You’re allowed to wear a disguise, but I can’t put on a little act?”

Hearing this, Bai Zhou chuckled. His eyes skimmed over Zhou Qian’s hair and earrings before turning to face the deep blue sea again, not speaking for a moment.

Zhou Qian then took the initiative, sitting on a nearby rock. “You seem familiar with this place?”

“Just been here a few times,” Bai Zhou replied.

“Oh?” Zhou Qian inquired. “Who did you come with for the trial?”

Bai Zhou: “I never went for any trials. I occasionally visit the auction house. Sometimes, you can find good items there.”

Zhou Qian nodded. “I see.”

After that, both of them sat in silence, gazing at the sea. The atmosphere was once again filled with quietude.

The soft rustling of waves could be heard, washing over the sandy shores. The world was without stars or moon, and the blue waters shimmered in hazy multicolor. Waves brought the seawater to the beach, taking some sand along with them as they receded, flowing into the distance.

After a long while, Bai Zhou turned to look at Zhou Qian, speaking softly. “I thought you’d have many questions for me.”

“There are many,” Zhou Qian admitted, “but after seeing you, I didn’t know where to start.”

“Ask anything you like.”

“Anything, huh… Let me think…”

Where should he start? Why did Bai Zhou leave without a word? Why did he suddenly disappear? Why did he “die” in reality? Why did he hide his identity in the game? When did Bai Zhou start playing this game? What exactly is a Rank God player?

…

As these questions went through Zhou Qian’s mind, Bai Zhou’s expression became more solemn. Then, Zhou Qian suddenly stood up, walking right in front of him.

At a very close distance, Zhou Qian, behind his mask, looked into Bai Zhou’s eyes. Then, with a smile, he asked, “I want to know—how does it feel to wear a little skirt? Is it fun?”

Bai Zhou seemed slightly taken aback for a moment, but then his tense expression softened into a smile. Gazing into Zhou Qian’s bright eyes, Bai Zhou raised his hand, the tip of his slender index finger lightly touching Zhou Qian’s mask.

“Can you take it off?”

After a moment, Bai Zhou softly asked him.

Zhou Qian didn’t answer, but instead, smiling, he took a half-step back, dodging Bai Zhou’s fingertip.

Looking at Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian seemed about to say something when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something, and his face changed drastically.

Due to the mask, Bai Zhou couldn’t see Zhou Qian’s facial expression, but he instantly sensed the change from the sudden sharpness in Zhou Qian’s eyes.

Bai Zhou quickly turned to see what was behind him. In a spot unseen by Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou’s eyes displayed an extreme sense of indifference and coldness.

Holding the Rib of God in his hand, Zhou Qian moved forward, spotting a group of oddly dressed individuals approaching him, each emanating a powerful murderous aura.

“What’s happening?” Zhou Qian whispered to Bai Zhou. “Do you know?”

Before Bai Zhou could reply, a bald man from the crowd shouted, “A bounty order from the underworld, issued by the Peach Blossom Legion. Ahh… so you’re Zhou Qian? How can such a skinny figure like you be worth so much?”

Beside the bald man stood another with long, greasy hair wrapped around his waist. “Thinking you can come to a semi-open instance after having a bounty on your head, hahaha. You’ve got guts! Lucky for us, you came to Blue Harbor City!”

The bald man and the long-haired man seemed to be the leaders of this small gang, with others as their followers.

One of the subordinates remarked, “This Zhou Qian is accompanied by a Rank God player. But it looks like this Rank God player has been blacklisted by the Peach Blossom Legion, which is why he didn’t see their bounty notice?”

Another added, “Huh, this Rank God player is named [137]? Never heard of him. Maybe he’s a low-key Rank God player? Maybe I should ask the Rank God players I know about his background?”

The bald man interrupted, “Don’t bother! Who cares about his background? Here, their abilities are greatly reduced to about an ordinary Rank S. So, what’s there to fear? Let’s get him together and claim the bounty from the Peach Blossom Legion!”

“Zhou Ge—”

Seeing the menacing group advance, Zhou Qian remained unfazed.

With a playful idea in mind, he glanced at Bai Zhou and grinned. “Think we can handle this?”

Suddenly, an ancient and elusive Tang sword appeared out of thin air, swiftly gripped by Bai Zhou.

He looked at the unruly crowd with an indifferent expression, but when he turned to Zhou Qian, his eyes softened again. “Stay behind me.”

Just as Bai Zhou’s words fell, a rustling sound was heard. In front of them, grains of sand on the beach began to rise, reflecting a mysterious glow under the colorful sky. Astonishingly, countless snakes, insects, rodents, and ants began crawling out!

This must be the skill of someone from that group. It’s likely that all these creatures are highly venomous.

Suddenly, a sword that gleamed like moonlit frost was raised, signaling Bai Zhou’s intent to strike. In a flash, however, his wrist, which was gripping the sword, was seized by someone.

Turning his head, Bai Zhou looked at Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian smiled and shook his head at him, saying, “We won’t fight.”

Allowing Zhou Qian to hold his wrist, Bai Zhou took a step back with him. “What do you have in mind?”

“Let’s take them down inside the instance.” Zhou Qian winked at Bai Zhou and immediately took out a mirror with his right hand, saying, “Let’s go.”

……

On the beach, as the chilling blade of the Tang sword was about to be unsheathed, the bald and long-haired men were preparing to confront it. But then, a flash from the mirror passed by, and the two figures on the beach side by side vanished.

Behind them, the followers began mocking.

“A Rank God player actually ran away! Hahaha! We really don’t have to be afraid!”

“Why is the Peach Blossom Legion even bothering with bounties? Zhou Qian’s just a coward!”

“Where did they escape to? That mirror only allows them to move 500 meters!”

“I’m checking today’s open instances… ah, the closest one that’s open for newbie Rank S players is ‘Murder Exhibition’!”

“Oh no, he’s not really going there, is he? I heard many players died in that instance recently!”

“Hahaha, this is going to be fun!”

“That being said… do we continue the chase or wait for them?”

“Cough cough, boss.” One of the followers turned to the bald man. “Should we go to ‘Murder Exhibition’ to continue our pursuit?”

“What? Are you scared?” The bald man sneered.

Another follower remarked, “But… we’ve heard that instance is quite wicked.”

The man with long hair said, “Our ‘Invincible Legion’ has just been established, and we’ve publicly taken up a bounty. If we can’t win this fight, won’t we lose face? Let’s go! Let’s enter the ‘Murder Exhibition’! I don’t believe we can’t handle it!”

The bald man echoed, “Exactly! Let’s go! What’s there to be afraid of? If we don’t kill them now, should we wait for them to finish the instance and level up? Let’s move, right now!”

……

Elsewhere, after Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou quickly left the beach using the “[Universe Teleportation Mirror], Zhou Qian immediately started running, heading straight for the Murder Exhibition Hall.

Outside the exhibition hall was a large, spacious courtyard. Scattered around were several cars parked haphazardly in a disorderly manner.

As Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou approached the courtyard’s entrance, they encountered an old gatekeeper. The old man had silvery white hair and wore a simple gray cloth robe. Interestingly, he wasn’t dressed in the usual vibrant colors. There was a melancholic aura about him. Upon seeing Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou, his deeply wrinkled face broke into an eerily strange smile.

“Do you really want to go in?” The old man asked with a bizarre grin. “If you wish to enter, each person needs to pay 50 gold coins for a ticket. Scanning the ticket to enter the exhibition means you are officially entering the sub-instance.”

“We’re going in,” Zhou Qian decisively said.

“Very well.” The old man handed over two tickets. The moment Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou took them, their systems automatically deducted 50 gold coins each.

Zhou Qian checked his system and exchanged a glance with Bai Zhou before they both walked towards the entrance of the exhibition hall. As they neared the entrance, Zhou Qian suddenly heard a scream and saw three young women rushing out. Through his system interface, Zhou Qian discovered that they were NPCs.

The three girls each wore exaggerated long dresses in red, purple, and yellow, respectively. All of them looked pale and visibly shaken. Upon seeing Bai Zhou and Zhou Qian, they immediately began to offer words of caution.

“You mustn’t go in!”

“Yes, it’s terrifying!”

“The exhibit feels so real… Wuwuwu, it’s really scary.”

“Yes, yes, it’s as if someone is genuinely committing murder inside—”

“I’ll have nightmares for a month!”

“I won’t eat meat for three months!!”

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