Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Xiao Huai found an empty corner, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to think in silence.
He had not heard a single firecracker or firework the previous night.
After all, he had slept like the dead.
According to the other players, however, the noise had begun after nine.
No one would set off fireworks and firecrackers in a dilapidated village for no reason, especially when it was questionable whether there were any “people” here at all.
Rules Three and Four concerned the curfew and explicitly stated that no one could go outside between three and six in the morning.
But why? Why were they forbidden from leaving?
Did something happen during those hours?
Rule Six did provide unlimited food and water, but what about the strange scent he had detected?
If the witch had tampered with the food and water, their Sanity would fall without them noticing.
The soulbugs’ fragrance caused hallucinations and drove people toward mental collapse.
What would happen after being influenced by it little by little?
Rule Seven was a hard limit, a punishment that had already been confirmed.
[Every night, the witch will randomly punish the bad children.]
The corners of Xiao Huai’s mouth curved upward.
In that case…
Was the witch among them?
The collective main mission had included the key phrase, [Find the witch’s lost treasure and return it to her.]
The “witch” here did not refer to a group of witches, but to one specific witch.
“Her” referred to someone specific. She could not be too far from the players because she was the person to whom they had to submit the mission item.
That meant the main mission actually contained a hidden objective.
They not only had to find the witch’s treasure, but also find the witch herself.
Choosing the wrong treasure or giving it to the wrong person would both result in mission failure.
This was the true increase in difficulty.
The real mission had been concealed.
Words themselves were being used to kill.
That was why Xiao Huai had smiled when Lu Zhi asked what the witch looked like.
Whether intentionally or not, Lu Zhi’s question had touched on the same point.
Rule Seven had practically told them that the witch would come every night.
If she came every night, then there was another possibility.
The witch might have been there ever since they entered the inn.
She might be hiding somewhere and spying on everyone, or she might already have taken action.
Xiao Huai opened his eyes and murmured, “I’ve decided.”
The moment he spoke, a mysterious force enveloped him.
A notification repeated in his ears. [Activating the Holy Father’s exclusive buff for this game: Rule Appraisal. Determine whether rules are true or false. Three uses available.]
He had only three chances for a total of seven rules.
Breaking even one rule meant suffering the consequences that followed.
Three chances were neither many nor few.
Xiao Huai said softly in his mind, “First use. Appraise Rule Three.”
[Rule Appraisal: “3. Curfew lasts from three to six in the morning. Anyone who leaves their room will die.” Result: False.]
So it was false, just as he had expected. Even better, since Rule Three was false, Rule Four could most likely be inferred to be false as well.
[4. Treasure-hunting hours are from six in the morning until three the next morning. Anyone who neglects the search will die.]
He simply did not know which part was wrong: that anyone leaving would die, or the curfew hours themselves.
Perhaps both were false.
Three to six might not be curfew at all, and going outside might not kill them.
It might even be the crucial window for clearing the game.
“Second use. Appraise Rule Seven.”
If the other players had received the same appraisal buff as Xiao Huai, not one of them would have used it to test Rule Seven.
The reason was obvious. Everyone here was a player in a horror game.
How many of those players could truly be considered good people?
“Naughty” was a subjective word with no fixed standard. Sometimes, another person might decide that even breathing made you naughty.
And the punishment had already been proven. Was Xiaoxue not a perfect example?
No one would waste one of their chances verifying something they considered absolutely certain.
Yet Xiao Huai asked anyway.
He wanted to confirm a suspicion in his mind.
[Rule Appraisal: “7. The children invited to the Witch’s House are all naughty. Every night, the witch will randomly punish the bad children.” Result: True.]
A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes. His doubt had been resolved, and everything that followed became much simpler.
Xiao Huai propped his chin on one hand, a trace of laziness in his eyes.
“For my final use, appraise…”
He paused. Using his last chance on Rule Two or Rule Six might be more helpful to the players’ immediate survival.
But Xiao Huai chose something else. “Appraise Rule One.”
It was the most worthless, meaningless rule of all.
In everyone’s stereotypical view, witches were heretics and outsiders burned at the stake.
Regardless of whether Rule One described what kind of people they were,
the players all felt at least some disgust and wariness toward witches.
Yet Xiao Huai had chosen to appraise the one rule no one else would question.
The system’s voice slowly sounded.
[Rule Appraisal: “1. Witches are vile, lowly, and disloyal. Do not sympathize with them.” Result: False.]
[System Notice: The Holy Father’s exclusive buff has been fully expended. We wish you success in the game.]
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he stood. He seemed to be responding to the system, yet also meeting the gazes of the gods who had been watching him all along.
“Now the game truly begins.”
The candlelight trembled in the breeze, breaking into fragments that swept across Xiao Huai’s face and reflected in his eyes.
His teasing gaze carried an uninhibited sense of control. Like a beast breaking free of its cage, or a spirit in a midsummer forest, the sight struck with tremendous force and recklessly dragged at every viewer’s heartbeat.
Divine Realm ยท Temple of the Moon God
Inside the Temple of the Moon God, Edwin slowly opened his eyes. A gust of wind pulled at his long golden hair. He turned his head, moonlight weaving a soft beauty across his face.
Smiling faintly, Edwin touched the air with his slender index finger, and the entire temple burst into dazzling light.
He tilted his head. The hair behind his ear slipped down and brushed across his pale, cold skin.
It was a pure, icy beauty.
His agate-green eyes narrowed halfway, light and shadow gilding them with a wicked gleam.
“Your eyes are beautiful.”
His gaze passed through the radiance and settled on Xiao Huai’s face in the livestream. “I want you.”
The light descended, and a fissure opened in the air.
Words appeared across it. [NPC Roleplay Invitation – Esteemed Moon God, your privilege has taken effect and your designated application has been approved. Transfer to the fourth-floor game instance will begin in three minutes. Please wait patiently for your designated player to arrive.]
[Designated Player: Xiao Huai]
Edwin’s lips blossomed into a curve as lethal as a datura flower. His fingertip stroked a canine tooth that was gradually sharpening.
His voice was as intoxicating as red wine.
“Will your blood taste delicious?”
* * *
Xiao Huai sneezed. It seemed a little cold, and if the game was finally about to begin in earnest, he could not afford to get sick first.
Just as he was about to leave, he spotted a familiar insect crawling across the floor.
Not only that, the soulbug kept chirping, and its cries sounded almost human.