Chapter 134
Chapter 134
The first rays of morning sun slowly rose above the horizon, and the air carried the freshness that followed rain.
Ordinarily, an isolated, dreamlike castle like this would have been a place many people longed to visit.
Now, however, everyone was afraid to wake up.
Afraid that waking meant facing the cruel reality.
Afraid they would never escape.
Afraid the limited number of gold coins would be taken by someone else.
Every person here was a rival.
By the end of the first day, thirteen members of the human faction had died.
The three players imprisoned in the Corpse Cage the day before never reappeared. Even the plaques on their doors had turned gray.
Whenever a player died, the plaque on their door turned gray.
Together with the tiny room behind it…
Each one seemed to become both a coffin and a gravestone commemorating the dead.
Although it was not yet eight in the morning, players had already begun emerging from their rooms one after another.
Some ate simple food in the dining room. Some sat in the small pavilion outside the castle and stared blankly into space. Others heaved long sighs at the sky.
Some complained about their terrible luck and wondered how they had been dragged into this special instance.
Others, however, were harboring secret schemes.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Certain items in the limited-time shop after the game could not be bought even with real-world fortunes.
In the dining room, Xiao Huai sat alone in an inconspicuous corner. His plate held only a plain sandwich.
Eyes lowered, he ate his breakfast in silence.
Several players in the dining room recognized him. They deliberately kept their distance as they whispered about him.
Deep down, they saw no difference between Xiao Huai and the culprit who had dragged them into this disaster, even though he was also a victim.
People always blamed the weak. After all, none of them dared resist a power stronger than themselves.
At that moment, someone carrying a plate sat across from Xiao Huai.
“Morning.”
Xiao Qian gave a lazy yawn. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, as if he had not slept well.
“Morning.” Xiao Huai did not look up. He continued eating his sandwich, his voice as even as ever.
Xiao Qian’s plate was piled with food. “There are so many things to eat here. One sandwich is enough for you?”
The dining room resembled a buffet, with a wide range of dishes in the food area.
Xiao Huai nodded lightly. “Mm. It all tastes about the same. None of it is particularly good.”
Every memory Xiao Huai had of eating delicious food in the game seemed connected to Lu Yuanshi.
His hand paused around the sandwich.
Why was he thinking of Lu Yuanshi again?
Had he truly become obsessed?
He sighed very softly, but Xiao Qian’s keen ears caught it.
“I knew something was wrong with you,” Xiao Qian said.
Xiao Huai raised his eyes to meet his gaze. “What about you?”
Xiao Qian acted as though nothing had happened. “Me? What’s wrong with me? I just didn’t sleep well.”
Xiao Huai stared at him for several seconds, until Xiao Qian began to feel uneasy. “What? What do you think is wrong with me?”
“Everything about you seems wrong,” Xiao Huai replied without hesitation.
The corners of Xiao Qian’s lips suddenly curved. He leaned closer, his white irises appearing even more striking.
“Good,” Xiao Qian said, then began eating. “Never trust anyone too easily in a horror game, especially someone like me who looks like a good person. Isn’t that right?”
Xiao Huai said, “Are you teaching me how to play?”
“Perhaps you need the lesson.” Xiao Qian smiled. “An excellent game companion always makes sure his customer learns something useful.”
Xiao Huai pressed his lips together and said nothing.
By the time they finished breakfast, it was almost eight.
Players headed toward the main hall one after another. Xiao Huai and Xiao Qian joined them.
One step before entering the hall, Xiao Huai stopped and turned to look at Xiao Qian.
Neither had spoken along the way, but Xiao Qian knew Xiao Huai was not the talkative type.
Xiao Huai watched him from the corner of his eye and asked softly,
“Xiao Qian, is there an item you want to buy?”
Xiao Qian paused. Light and shadow reflected in Xiao Huai’s dark red eyes, serene as sunset glowing over a lake.
He tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Of course. How could there not be?”
The limited-time shop was a rare opportunity that could not be sought out.
Xiao Huai looked away and gazed into the hall. “I understand.”
“Understand what?” Xiao Qian asked.
Xiao Huai replied, “That there’s an item you want to buy.”
Xiao Qian fell silent.
What a masterful way to say absolutely nothing.
The four old-fashioned doors in the hall looked slightly different from the day before.
Each bore several red marks, some more than others.
The moment one player saw them, he screamed. Everyone turned toward him as he pointed at the red streaks with wide, terrified eyes.
His voice trembled. “Every red mark represents one human life.”
The others frowned. “What’s strange about a few people dying in a horror game?”
They found his alarmed reaction rather ridiculous.
But he continued in a low, ragged roar, “No! You don’t understand! Do you know what those evil gods are doing? Th-they’re playing a killing game. I heard it yesterday. I heard the madman in the tall hat betting on whose door would have the most red marks!”
An unnatural silence descended over the hall.
A killing game. A wager over who could kill the most players.
The gods would never treat the players as human. A human life was nothing but a number to them.
Lives weighed less than feathers, treated as worthless weeds.
It was not hard to imagine how difficult their games would be.
All four doors looked identical. The players had no idea which god guarded the other side of any given door.
More than twenty players had gathered in the hall by now, their expressions varied and their movements hurried. Someone suddenly asked,
“Did anyone enter a game yesterday? Um… if you managed to come back out, does that mean you got a gold coin?”
It was unquestionably a foolish question.
Was he not simply asking who had obtained a gold coin?
Even if he only wanted to know what the games involved, the question made it impossible not to associate survival with winning a coin.
Anyone who obtained one would be added to the other players’ watch lists.
Hands in his pockets, Xiao Huai stood there with an idle, lazy air, ignoring the discussion completely. Just as he prepared to choose a random door, someone behind him spoke.
“I went.”
Xiao Qian raised a hand slightly, and more than twenty gazes landed on him at once.
He and Xiao Huai were both tall and exceptionally attractive, making it difficult for them not to draw everyone’s attention immediately.
Xiao Qian smiled roguishly, cunning light flashing in his mismatched eyes.
He said, “I went, but I didn’t get a gold coin.”
He had entered a game but received no coin?