Chapter 25: The First Round of the Game |
“Respected Ms. White Crow:
In accordance with your wishes, I entered the 'Rose Manor' instance to investigate and have made considerable progress.
I have found traces and relics of that existence. His revered name is:
‘The Lord of Gods, exiled beyond the rules of the world, The Soul Master, who wields authority over contracts and trades, The great existence, older than history itself.’
The instance NPC, Miss Anna, once made a deal with Him. I am willing to believe in the authenticity of this revered name. I hope that this time, our ritual will be successful.
There were some complications. Someone else deciphered the rules first, and I was killed within the instance. That person was very cautious; I couldn't see their face.
If things proceed as expected, three players will survive: they call themselves Chang Xu, Qi Si, and Lin Chen. The first two are particularly suspicious, and I recommend the Church keep a close watch on them.
I can no longer return to Fragrant City to see you. I only hope my death may serve as a step on the path to revelation.
Weirdness will eventually run rampant in the world, and mystery will descend upon the mortal realm.
Yan”
Far from the bustling city, in a district of villas, Zou Yan sat at her desk in an elegantly decorated study, typing line after line into an email.
She reviewed it once more to ensure there were no mistakes or omissions before clicking “Send.”
An automated reply, “Acknowledged,” appeared in her inbox. Zou Yan pressed down on the edge of the desk, using her arms to push herself up, and staggered toward the bedroom.
She began to tremble, whether from the fear of death or the chilling sensation of her life force draining away.
Her body felt devoid of strength. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, making a soft clicking sound.
Fortunately, the distance from the study to the bedroom wasn't far. She managed to lie down on the bed just before she lost all ability to move.
She no longer had the strength to pull the covers over herself. She lay on her back, staring at a single point on the ceiling as if trying to burn its image into her very eyes.
Blood trickled from her mouth and nose. She licked a drop and found it tasted salty.
The Weird Game made players die in the real world in some plausible manner. Zou Yan idly wondered which terminal illness was claiming her now.
She forced the corners of her lips into a smile, raised a hand to trace two triangles over her chest, and compelled herself to look serene, but tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.
Perhaps there were people in the world who could face death calmly, but she was definitely not one of them.
She knew sacrifice was necessary and possessed the conviction of a martyr, but as the end truly arrived, a thousand regrets flooded her heart.
She still wanted to witness the final judgment and the coming revelation from the prophecies; she still wanted to walk in the light, to laugh and chat, to listen to stories and watch people; she still wanted to visit the church that took her in and see the children there...
She didn't want to die, but what choice did she have?
Her consciousness slowly sank into darkness. In the hazy twilight between waking and oblivion, a fragment of memory that should have been erased grew vivid.
It was the first round of the game in 'Rose Manor'.
...
Initially, a total of nine players had entered the 'Rose Manor' instance.
When the instance began, the nine players of the first round, much like the six who remained for the second, sat around a long table introducing themselves.
Among them, two claimed it was their third time in the instance. There was also a young girl who, despite it being only her second time, possessed an item that could point to clues.
In comparison, players like Chang Xu and Yezi seemed far less conspicuous.
Zou Yan's strategy had always been to keep a low profile, and with so many players who could introduce unpredictable variables, she had no intention of revealing her hand too early.
She used her professional expertise to observe everyone, creating psychological profiles for each.
From the very first glance, she noticed Qi Si, who, like her, was hiding himself within the group.
The young man kept his eyes lowered, silent and unobtrusive, but behind his lashes, his gaze followed every speaker. His deep, unreadable eyes glinted with calculation.
He too was thinking, observing.
Later, when they were assigned rooms, three to a room, Zou Yan decisively invited Qi Si to join her.
Nine was too many people. In such a complex and volatile situation, she needed a rational, calm ally.
Qi Si agreed. The two of them then recruited a newcomer and chose to stay in Room 1.
On the first night, Miss Anna came downstairs and knocked on each door in turn.
The newcomer in their room panicked and screamed, triggering a death trap just as expected. Vines burst through the cracks in the door, swarming the room. In the darkness, Zou Yan saw Qi Si's eyes snap open—as startling as a wild beast's, as bright as a fire on an icy plain.
The cold-faced young man didn't even get up. In a single second, he drew an awl from the special bracelet on his right wrist and knocked the troublesome newcomer unconscious.
The vines near the door continued to grow and spread, showing no sign of stopping.
The young man slowly sat up, and without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed the unconscious newcomer by the collar and threw him toward the door.
The vines coiled around the newcomer and dragged him out of the room. The young man watched the scene unfold, his expression impassive.
In that moment, Zou Yan realized that this player named "Qi Si" was just like her—a kindred spirit she hadn't encountered in a long time.
She said, "Let's work together."
Qi Si tilted his head to look at her, then, after a moment, broke into a brilliant smile. "Alright," he said.
He was like a completely different person from the cold-faced man moments before. She couldn't sense any genuine happiness in his expression, yet he smiled so brightly. The contradiction intrigued Zou Yan.
The next three days wouldn't be boring, she thought. Qi Si would be an excellent subject for observation.
Complex situations were prone to unexpected turns, and forcing a solution by decoding the world view would only create more trouble. The two agreed without objection on a plan: kill the other players to trigger the "guaranteed death count" mechanic.
Things went smoothly. After killing one more person, they formed an alliance with Shen Ming and Yezi, giving them the advantage in numbers.
Chang Xu, Lin Chen, and the young girl named Xu Xinyi were no match for them and were quickly brought under their control.
Lin Chen and Xu Xinyi did little but cry, but Chang Xu was as stubborn and hard-headed as a rock. He found an opportunity to snatch Qi Si's special bracelet and slashed a deep gash across his chest.
The others quickly subdued Chang Xu, planning to throw him out of the castle at night and let the instance's mechanics kill him.
But Qi Si, clutching the wound on his chest, stopped them with a smile. "Let's keep him. This guy's interesting."
One person's life or death was of little consequence. Chang Xu's limbs were broken, but he was allowed to live.
On the third day, the four of them chose to kill Xu Xinyi and took the item that could point to clues.
A flood of clues about the instance's world view surfaced, and Zou Yan began to feel that something was wrong. After some investigation, she confirmed the existence of a "time loop."
It turned out that killing three people didn't clear the instance. The cycle wouldn't stop; the survivors would lose their memories of what happened and return to the beginning to repeat the same scenario, until everyone was buried in Rose Manor.
She told Qi Si of her discovery. He looked out the window at the sea of roses and laughed nonchalantly. "A game with six people is much clearer than one with nine. At least collecting clues in the second round won't be as troublesome as it is now. Besides, by my count, we still have two more rounds, don't we?"
For a moment, Zou Yan suspected that the young man had known all along, that culling the numbers in the first round had been part of his plan. Even sparing Chang Xu might have been a strategic move for the second round.
But she dismissed the thought—how could anyone have possibly laid such a trap before she did?
The evening bell chimed nine times. She watched the young man's flickering silhouette behind the candlelight and, as if possessed, asked, "If our interests conflict later, will you kill me?"
The young man's eyes curved into a smile. "Don't you already know? We're the same kind of people."
The answer was clear. Their choices had already been made in their own hearts; nothing more needed to be said.
Zou Yan's rational mind told her she should eliminate this unstable element, this potential variable, as soon as possible.
But she hesitated.
Three people were already dead, and the remaining six perfectly fit two more three-day cycles. She wasn't sure if another death now would end the game prematurely, leaving her with insufficient time to decode the world view.
Besides, in this first round, Qi Si seemed to possess no threat beyond his calm and cold demeanor. He had few items in reserve and had to rely on her. How much trouble could he really cause?
In the end, Zou Yan didn't dare to bet against the game's mechanics based on her groundless suspicions.
Killing Qi Si at the start of the next round wouldn't be too difficult, she thought.
Besides, it had been a long time since she'd met someone so interesting. What was the harm in keeping him around for one more game?
And so, she watched Qi Si leave the room, walk out of the castle, and stand in the center of the sea of flowers, maintaining a wary and distant space between them.
She didn't stop him.
When the castle clock struck twelve, a new cycle would begin. The players would forget their grudges, the blood-soaked sins they had committed would be washed away, and they would gather at the long table again like innocent strangers, meeting for the first time once more.
Zou Yan knew she had only three hours left to savor the memories of these past three days.
She stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the young man standing amidst the sea of flowers.
The storm had long since passed, and the moon emerged from the clouds. Its ghastly pale light cast an eerie glow on his blood-spattered white shirt.
The young man stood there, unmoving, unspeaking, silent.
He was all alone, his back to the castle, as cold as a statue, as lonely as a wild beast.
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