Chapter 14: Rose Manor |
In the garden of Rose Manor, three earthen pits lay neatly arranged across the ground, like scars.
In each pit lay a mangled, bloody corpse. Including the one they had dug up initially, there were three bodies in total: two men and one woman.
The three corpses were dressed in modern clothing, but their faces were unfamiliar. At least, none of the three people present recognized them.
The last pit they uncovered held the body of a girl, no older than twelve or thirteen, with her hair in pigtails. Her dress was shredded by vines, revealing a crisscross of bloody marks on her skin. It was a particularly gruesome sight.
Zou Yan had been standing quietly by Chang Xu's side ever since the first body was unearthed, silently watching him work.
Upon seeing the girl's body, she took off her own jacket and draped it over the corpse. A look of pity filled her eyes. "You poor child," she murmured. "May the Lord protect you."
Chang Xu placed the shovel back against the wall, his expression unreadable as he analyzed the situation. "We know one person dies each day, and the instance lasts for three days. These three must be the players from the group before us."
"Not necessarily players, and definitely not the group right before us," Zou Yan countered, looking up at the sky. "I remember this instance has run many times. If three people were buried in the garden every time, there would be far more than just these three bodies."
Chang Xu concluded, "So, it's also possible the instance deliberately left these as hints and clues for us."
She suddenly turned to Zou Yan and asked, "You said you 'remember this instance has run many times.' Does that mean you researched it in the real world?"
"I only glanced at it on the forums; I didn't read the discussion in detail." Zou Yan’s expression didn't waver, giving nothing away. "We had three days to prepare, and there are thousands of instances in the novice pool. I couldn't possibly look through all of them. I assumed the rule-based horror instances would be simple—just be careful not to break the rules—so I skipped over all of them."
Yezi seemed exasperated, letting out a dry laugh. "What is there to prepare for other instances? You just look up what monsters are in them, and if you run into one, you're dead anyway. Any normal person knows that only rule-based instances are worth preparing for in advance..."
Zou Yan replied apologetically, "Yezi, I'm sorry. I really didn't think it through that much at the time. I saw that all the rule-based instances were for teams, so I figured that even if I didn't prepare, other players would have done their homework. I honestly didn't expect a situation like this..."
"Don't change the subject!" Yezi's voice suddenly rose. "You obviously know more than we do, but you're hiding it! A ghost could see what you're up to! Brother Shen is already dead. Who's next? Me?"
"Don't make baseless accusations. I have just as much reason to suspect you're projecting."
"Hah. Then let me ask you, how did you know last night that we'd be safe as long as we covered our heads?"
Yezi sneered and turned, striding toward the main door of the castle.
She moved so quickly that she bumped her shoulder against Chang Xu, the impact causing her to stumble.
Clearly embarrassed, she shot Chang Xu a vicious glare before stepping through the doorway.
Caught in the crossfire, Chang Xu watched her go, a silent question mark forming in his mind as he stood there, utterly bewildered.
...
Rose Manor only served two meals a day, breakfast and dinner; there was no lunch.
Although the players were famished after the morning's ordeal, no one complained about the arrangement. After all, sharing a table with Miss Anna was an ordeal in itself.
The mechanical clock on the second floor chimed twelve times, its unhurried, ethereal tones announcing the arrival of high noon.
Chang Xu ascended the stairs to the second floor alone. As he looked up, he saw Qi Si leaning against his room's door, a long red dress dangling from his hand.
*The red dress must be a clue,* Chang Xu deduced, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Are you looking for me?"
Qi Si straightened up and smiled at him. "Brother Chang, care to check out the third floor together?"
*Weren't we just at each other's throats? Why the sudden offer to cooperate?*
Never one to beat around the bush, Chang Xu asked directly, "Why ask me to go with you? From your perspective, you can't rule me out as Shen Ming's killer."
"But that's not important," Qi Si said.
Approaching Chang Xu was part of his plan. Of the five people still alive, Chang Xu was clearly the strongest in terms of combat ability—a quality Qi Si himself lacked.
He continued, picking up on the second half of Chang Xu's statement with a smile. "Assuming your description of last night's events is true, I'm guessing you have a way to deal with the supernatural. I, on the other hand, am rather fragile. The moment I run into something weird, I'm done for. I need someone who can fight to help handle special situations."
"As for whether you killed him or not, I don't care. The best guarantee of safety is a clear assessment of the situation. When morality is weak and useless, I only talk about interests."
"Cooperation is mutually beneficial, while hostility is self-destructive. Neither of us is a fool. What's the use of getting hung up on social norms other than wasting time?"
Chang Xu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Then he heard Qi Si add, "Besides, I can't beat you in a fight. So for you, there's no risk in cooperating with me, is there?"
This was a line of reasoning Chang Xu was familiar with and found acceptable. He nodded subconsciously in agreement. Qi Si continued, "I hold the key to clearing this instance. Going to the third floor is just to verify a few of my theories."
"If you work with me, we can decipher the world's lore together, and everyone wins. But if you kill me, or let me die under mysterious circumstances—"
He gave a light chuckle. "Heh, you'll have to figure out the rest of the clues on your own."
*Makes sense.* Chang Xu nodded again, accepting Qi Si's proposal.
The next moment, Qi Si, who had been standing by the door, stepped aside, gesturing for Chang Xu to open it. "Since we've agreed to cooperate, shouldn't we share the clues from our respective rooms?"
Without suspecting anything, Chang Xu walked straight to the door, took the key from his pocket, and inserted it into the lock.
Qi Si gazed at the unguarded nape of Chang Xu's neck, and for no reason at all, he began to imagine the sensation of a blade gliding across skin.
His eyes darkened for a moment as he barely suppressed the dangerous thought. He added in a patently false tone, "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to go first, Brother Chang. My teammate is still alive, and he's a bit petty. He won't let me be the first to reveal my clues... aigh, who would have thought Brother Shen would die so soon?"
Chang Xu had no intention of playing along. He silently turned the key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
Qi Si immediately dropped the phony expression and followed him in, his face serious.
The layout of Room 3 was largely the same as Room 2: a large bed, an oil lamp, a desk, and two chairs comprised all the furniture inside.
On the desk, a stack of notebooks was piled neatly, and on top lay a piece of papyrus covered in writing—likely a summary of the clues.
Without ceremony, Qi Si walked straight to the desk, picked up the paper, and began to read.
...
...
[I am forever trapped in time]
[Where dusk and dawn collide]
[The cycle repeats, year after year]
[And yesterday relives itself with me]
...
[I do not know how long I have lived here, but I still remember the morning I first arrived. A cold curtain of rain fell from the high heavens, shrouding the world. Amid the gray, dreary landscape, there was a splash of brilliant red that neutralized the depressing colors, blending them into a captivating, dreamlike lavender.]
[I reined in my horse outside the iron gate and saw such a lovely face through the window! She was so radiant that I instantly forgot the pouring rain, mistaking it for a bright, sunny day. That was Anna. I think I fell hopelessly in love with her from the very first moment I saw her.]
...
[Anna and her sister, Annie, lived together in Rose Manor, depending on each other for survival. Their parents had passed away three years prior—such unfortunate news. They were all alone in the castle, without even a single maid.]
[Their family's status had declined during their parents' generation. The meager inheritance was only enough to maintain the manor; they had to sell roses to make a living. I asked Anna about her plans for the future. She said she might marry a newly wealthy nobleman to improve their lives. "I want my sister to be happier than I am," she told me.]
...
[Anna and I quickly fell in love. Annie seemed very unhappy about it, repeatedly claiming that she didn't need a better life at the cost of selling her sister's beauty. She seems to love her sister very much. How can I convince her that I will love Anna forever?]
[These past few days, I have written several letters home, trying to broach the subject of Anna and me with my father as tactfully as possible. I hope it turns out well.]
[If my father disagrees... if she would be willing to forsake her title for me, we could arrange a time, meet in the night and... No, that idea is too insane!]
...
[That night, Anna never came for me. I had no choice but to leave alone. I returned home and spent a year convincing my father before I could go back to Rose Manor.]
[After so long, Anna seemed to have changed. The scent of roses on her was much stronger than before, a smell I didn't much care for. She was cold toward me. A few times, when I glanced back unexpectedly, I saw a chill in her eyes that almost wounded me.]
...
[Anna told me she believed death was the best fertilizer for roses. I think I understood something then. It was the worst possible guess, but if it could save her, I was willing.]