Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I no longer remember who I am. Wandering this world for too long, my memories have blurred. Neither living nor dead, I am a monster.

Those players thrown into the instance call me Ghost Bride.

To me, they are nothing but insects disturbing my peace; their deaths are not worthy of pity.

But these humans have an entertaining side as well.

I’ve seen people frame friends, find scapegoats, and use items bought from the so-called shop to deal with me, all to clear the instance. Now and then, I also witness some laughable displays of shared life and death.

I do not care about their lives or deaths.

But watching the terror on their faces and hearing their screams is rather amusing.

After they clear the instance, it resets. They think my memories reset too.

But in truth, I remember every beginning and end of the instance, every batch of insects.

Still, it’s been far too long. Over a dozen batches have come to this instance, and only a few ever leave each time.

They want to kill me for the greatest clear reward.

Unfortunately, those who do not value life die faster and more brutally.

When I hear the bell of the old mansion ring again, I can’t help but curl my lips.

Here they come again.

The ones come to die.

“Damn, what the hell is this place? It’s so eerie.”

“Who are you? Where is this?”

Seems like there are always unlucky newcomers every time.

Someone shook his head, stood up, and looked around with a calm but grave expression.

Some grouped up in twos and threes, while others stayed out of the loop.

“Brother Wei, the death rate in the Ghost Bride instance is too high,” someone muttered. “The death trigger rules seem different each time. Should we find some guinea pigs this time?”

The one called Brother Wei thought for a moment, then accepted the suggestion.

Afterward, they gathered up those who were clueless.

“This is a horror game instance called Ghost Bride. We need to find the clear clues to get out. Danger is everywhere; it’s easy to lose your life. You newbies are unlucky to run into this instance on your first try. Stick with us; we can guide you for a bit. Those who want to, stay. Those who don’t, go on your own.”

Someone clueless asked, “Then why did we come here?”

“Why?” the speaker sneered. “If you have an unresolvable obsession in your heart, you might be pulled in. Ask yourselves.”

Some have greed, some murderous intent, others jealousy, resentment, and so on.

The questioner fell silent, but that didn’t mean everyone believed that nonsense.

A man with a missing finger on his left hand laughed scornfully:

“Do you take me for a three-year-old? Such a clumsy ghost story. Your prank has limits; stop pretending. According to you, we can’t leave without completing the task, right? I’m going out to see for myself.”

With that, he headed toward the courtyard gate, which was wide open.

But outside, thick fog obscured the view.

As the missing-finger man walked out, no one made a sound.

The newbies looked at him hopefully, wanting to see if they could really leave this damned place that way.

Those who were not first-timers watched his back with pity and indifference.

Idiot.

After truly stepping out of the gate, the man turned around triumphantly and said, “I told you this mumbo-jumbo… how could I not get out…”

But before he could finish, his voice cut off.

The next second, as if pierced by something extremely sharp, blood lines appeared on his face and body, and without warning, he was sliced into several chunks, unable to stand, collapsing with a crash.

The stench of blood spread, and screams erupted.

At the gate, several interwoven silver threads were now visible, blood droplets continuously dripping from them. Eerie and bizarre.

“Enough, stop screaming! We warned you just now. Those who aren’t afraid of dying, go test it again. If you keep screaming, you’ll summon Ghost Bride and we’ll all die!”

From a dark high tower, I watched the show in the courtyard expressionlessly.

Over twenty insects this time.

But I’m a bit tired, so I’ll make it quick this time.

I sense someone pushing open the door of the old mansion. The game has begun.

No one paid attention to a few others who had been standing quietly in the courtyard-even I didn’t notice them.

A woman who didn’t look very strong seemed to be the leader of a small group. She calmly watched the farce in the courtyard.

After watching the newbies get tricked into forming a team, she and her teammates followed behind them into the old mansion.

This old mansion was mostly built of wood. As the door was pushed open, it creaked loudly, and the musty smell lingered in everyone’s nostrils.

The bats flew out in swarms, prompting screams from them once again.

“Shut up,” Wang Wei snapped in a low voice.

“If you want to die, that’s your business, but don’t drag everyone else down,” said the lackey beside Wang Wei.

After the bats were gone, the hall remained pitch-black. Those with experience among them fumbled in the dark to find and light candlesticks nearby; as the light flared up, they took in the full sight of the hall.

Someone covered their mouth.

It was unmistakably a wedding hall, with red candles and red silk, but in the place of honor stood two spirit tablets, and before them lay a large red coffin.

“Brother Wei, t-this… the Ghost Bride couldn’t be inside, could she?”

Wang Wei glanced at the red coffin and shook his head:

“The seniors who cleared this before said the key is to find a groom for the Ghost Bride, but her killing conditions aren’t bound by the rules. She kills whenever she feels like it. If we run into her, just run. Don’t try to fight-none of us is her match.”

“Where’s the groom? Is he also in this mansion? If she’s so strong, why doesn’t she catch him herself?” someone asked timidly.

“There’s probably a rule restriction,” said another. “But I remember the forums mentioned this instance was originally called Ghost Groom when it first launched. The main storyline was to help the Ghost Groom find his runaway bride. After that first run, the name changed. Only three people made it out alive back then, all women.”

“I guess the Ghost Bride is far stronger than the Ghost Groom, and she hates men. So every man for himself from here on.”

Suddenly, the sound of a guqin echoed in the wedding hall; the red silk swayed as an eerie wind blew.

Everyone’s expression turned grave in an instant. I successfully caught the terror on many faces and curled my lips in satisfaction.

“Ghost Bride!” someone suddenly widened their eyes, trembling as they pointed toward the loft, where red embroidered shoes were visible from their vantage point.

“Why has the Ghost Bride appeared so early?” the person beside Wang Wei asked with difficulty.

Wang Wei gritted his teeth: “The Ghost Bride isn’t bound by the rules. This is our bad luck; we’ve disturbed her.”

In the blink of an eye, I had already descended the stairs and begun picking out appetizers.

“Run!” someone shouted.

But in that instant, an eerie wind slammed all the doors and windows shut. The red candles still burned, the guqin played on, though no one was there to appreciate it-sinister and bizarre.

My face was draped with the red veil, and as the eerie wind swept by, they should have been able to see my pallid complexion and bright red lips.

Their fear was truly delicious.

I slowly raised my right hand, my crimson fingertip pointing at that noisy human beside Wang Wei, who reeked of sin, a most appetizing scent.

“B-Brother Wei, what does she mean?” The man froze for a moment, then his voice trembled.

I turned my palm, and instantly the man’s neck was caught in my grasp.

How fragile a human neck is. I could sense that he had once placed his own palm around someone else’s neck, then wore a look of cruel satisfaction, squeezing until that little boy stopped breathing.

I wondered if, at the moment of his death, he would recall that scene.

With a crack, his neck snapped in my palm.

“The Ghost Bride is slaughtering people right from the start-why?” someone asked in panic.

“Who knows? The forum people say she’s a madwoman. We’re just unlucky. Got any life-saving props, bring them out now!”

In a short time, my hands had taken two lives. Their souls stood out from the group, steeped in sin and blood. Though the scent was delicious, it also made me sick.

I fixed my gaze on the next person: a man with glasses. His soul was half black and half white-very intriguing.

He pulled out a peachwood sword to fend me off.

Child’s play.

My lips curled up again as I easily snapped his sword.

At the critical moment, a woman stepped in front of him and bound my hand with a black whip.

“Sister Xi!” the Glasses Guy shouted.

This woman had a fairly pretty face, though no longer very young. Her soul was peculiar-a very pure red.

Her long whip actually managed to briefly stall my movements. Seeing this, the others scrambled to find an escape route.

I was growing impatient. The eerie wind around me surged, whipping up even my skirt and the red veil.

Wind chimes rang out in the wedding hall, blending with the guqin to constantly challenge their mental limits.

The woman before me saw clearly the face beneath my red veil.

I had expected her to show terror like the rest; I was even looking forward to it, sure that my current appearance was terrifying.

But unexpectedly, she seemed to freeze the moment she saw me.

Then her grip on the whip slackened.

An expression I couldn’t comprehend crossed her face, and tears fell:

“Sweetheart, it’s me, your mother. Don’t you remember me?”