Chapter 75
Chapter 75
Beneath the night sky, he resembled a fae who had stepped out of legend. The exotic brown robe contrasted vividly with his pale skin, like morning snow scattered across autumn leaves, dazzling to behold.
A breeze stirred the gauze. It shimmered faintly as it clung to his waist and abdomen, offering tantalizing glimpses of the skin beneath.
The jewelry itself was simple, yet once he wore it, the decorations lining the robe instantly became magnificent, creating a sight beautiful enough to intoxicate.
His dark red eyes moved like flickering flames beneath long lashes. Then he narrowed them slightly, a smile glimmering at his lips.
“What are you staring at?”
A-Zhuolang abruptly came to his senses. His cheeks flushed so deeply that they looked almost purple against his bronze skin.
He stumbled over his words. “I… It’s nothing. I just didn’t expect an outsider to suit these clothes so well. No, I mean, they suit *you*…”
He had never seen any outsider look as good in them as Xiao Huai did.
His heart seemed to leap into his throat. Xiao Huai was so beautiful that he could not look away.
Puzzled, Xiao Huai touched the outfit. It seemed somewhat revealing, but the long robe covered it well enough.
“Does it really look that good? The clothes seem ordinary to me.”
The clothes were ordinary. He simply seemed unaware of how extraordinary his own appearance was.
Xiao Huai stopped dwelling on the matter and handed A-Zhuolang a bag.
Just as A-Zhuolang was about to ask what it contained, Xiao Huai stabbed it open with his dagger.
With a pop, the blood pack splattered A-Zhuolang from head to toe.
“Ah!” A-Zhuolang stumbled back several steps in fright, carefully checking his body for wounds.
It took him a while to realize he was completely unharmed.
Xiao Huai smiled. “Let’s put on a show. From now on, I’m A-Zhuolang, and you are me.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Xiao Huai said, “If you don’t want that to become real blood, do exactly as I tell you.”
* * *
More than a dozen people stood in the sea of sand, sweat pouring from their foreheads.
The blistering heat twisted their expressions and forced their eyes half-shut.
“Seriously, why hasn’t the NPC appeared yet? How are we supposed to get out of a desert this huge?”
A broad, middle-aged man fanned himself with one hand, sweat covering his forehead.
A woman in her twenties standing beside him said:
“Maybe the NPC has to wait until all the players assemble. Aren’t there twenty of us this time? There are only a dozen or so here now.”
The broad man nodded. “That’s possible. But if the NPC doesn’t show up soon, I’m starting to think we’ll have to find our own way out.”
The woman lowered her eyes, her expression grave. “If we really have to escape on our own, our odds of survival won’t exceed ten percent. Haven’t you noticed? All the food and water in the System Shop have been locked.”
“What?”
The broad man was not the only one shocked this time. Fear and tension appeared on the other players’ faces as well.
They were in a desert with no food, no water, no map, and no guide.
That left them only one path: Death.
If their supplies truly ran out, humanity would become the least valuable thing in this place.
The more fragile players had already begun whimpering in anguish, clutching their heads as they muttered.
“I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die.”
Just then, a black hole inexplicably appeared among the crowd.
It immediately drew every eye. Someone murmured, “What is that?”
The next second, a red-eyed man in exotic clothing appeared before them.
Everyone froze. Time seemed to stop, leaving only the faint hum of the breeze brushing past their ears.
Sunlight fell across the man’s thick black lashes, making them tremble softly whenever he blinked.
Then those bewitching red eyes narrowed, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
His deep, magnetic voice reached every ear.
“I’m your guide, A-Zhuolang. My sincere apologies for arriving late.”
The players exchanged complicated looks.
Both of the man’s hands were covered in blood, the vivid red making him appear even more alluringly sinister.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Huai deliberately asked when he saw the blood drain from their faces.
He raised a hand to his lips, parted them slightly, and ran the tip of his pink tongue over one finger.
Blood stained his lips.
A wicked light flashed in his eyes as he said carelessly:
“Oh, is this what frightens you? Don’t worry. I already killed the disobedient little fellow.”
As though answering Xiao Huai’s summons, the black hole appeared at his feet.
A blood-soaked man appeared before everyone. Not a single clean patch remained on his casual clothes, and his bronze skin had lost all color, turning a pale gray.
Everyone seemed to stop breathing. The fear in their eyes deepened, and even their fingertips trembled.
Xiao Huai paid no attention to their reactions. His gaze passed over each player as he counted them.
Including himself, there were nineteen people present. Once the final player arrived, the group would be complete.
“I’ll lead you out after everyone gets here.” Xiao Huai yawned lazily and sat down on the ground.
The scorching sand was uncomfortable, but fortunately, A-Zhuolang’s robe had a cooling effect. At least it did not burn him too badly to sit.
To the players, Xiao Huai appeared utterly composed, even if he differed somewhat from the desert residents they had imagined.
Still, anyone who could sit and stare into space beneath the desert’s blazing heat had to be a local.
The real problem was that this NPC had killed a player before the game even began.
His authority had to be terrifyingly high…
Perhaps he was the boss of this instance.
Once the thought occurred to them, no one dared anger Xiao Huai. They gathered together and stood in perfect silence, like children being punished.
The players who had complained endlessly about the heat stopped grumbling altogether.
Instead, they furtively watched Xiao Huai for any reaction.
Suddenly, the system’s feminine voice issued a notification inside everyone’s mind.
[Welcome to the gods’ horror game: Third-floor instance *Witch’s House*.]
[Please follow your guide to Aledi Village. The Four Rules for Desert Survival will now be announced…]
The continuing system notifications meant everyone had assembled.
Xiao Huai suddenly felt someone watching him from behind.
It was different from the frightened stares of the other players.
Instead, it felt… strangely familiar.
When Xiao Huai turned around, his pupils widened slightly.
The wind roared in his ears.
A light breeze swept through the man’s hair and brushed across his lashes.
A faint smile rested on his face, limned in pale golden light.
Xiao Huai’s heart inexplicably gave a violent shudder, and his fingers curled tight by instinct.
Lu Yuanshi…