chapter 9

“Now the Key Item is in my hands.”

Qi Mingda laughed, “Anyone who wants to survive, come over. Let’s study the Item.”

His gaze especially lingered on Lu Li.

On the Fifth Floor, this newcomer had escaped disaster with bizarre luck. Now, the game on the Fourth Floor had just begun, and Qi Mingda had already thought of countless ways to torment him.

This time, Lu Li couldn’t possibly have heaven-defying luck again, could he?

Qi Mingda held the Photo Frame, showing it first to his two Team Members.

Qiao Ren saw the image clearly and exclaimed, “Whoa! This man must be her dad, right? Why doesn’t he have a lower body! I bet he’s dead! There are actually three Family Members in this house!”

The Female Teammate voiced her doubts, “No, missing a lower body could mean he’s disabled or something else. It’s the mom not having a face that’s weird! And this dog…”

She leaned in, pointing at a spot.

“There’s a line of stitches around the dog’s neck. What does that mean?”

“You haven’t seen much,” Qiao Ren sneered. “It’s obviously stitches from surgery on the dog. The dad is clearly the most suspicious one. Brother Qi, don’t you think so?”

Almost everyone’s attention was on the Item, crowding around Qi Mingda and discussing it enthusiastically.

Only Lu Li kept his eyes on the sand from beginning to end.

He stared at the corner of the room where fine sand was flowing out.

Just now, a strange slip of paper had followed the sand into the room, quickly covered and disappearing from sight.

Following the direction of the flow, it seemed to have ended up near him.

Lu Li bent down, thrusting his hands into the sand, and began to search.

Luo Jia Bai didn’t act rashly; he simply watched Lu Li and asked, “What are you looking for?”

“There’s a piece of paper in the sand.”

Lu Li really did pull out a slip of paper from inside, shook it clean, and the contents were clearly visible.

Just a few lines of text, in Diary format:

November 26th, Rain

Today the teacher asked the kids in class to take turns answering about their Family Members. My answer was different from everyone else’s, and they all laughed at me, saying I was a freak.

They clamped my hair in the chair, hid a Mouse and a Cockroach in my drawer, saying those were my Family Members too.

Why?

Why do they treat me like this?

Why am I different from everyone else?

*

“How did you know there was paper inside?” Luo Jia Bai was full of questions. He felt Lu Li’s behavior was nothing like a normal newcomer Player. “And just now! You knew there was something under the sand too! Did you trade abilities with the Evil God?”

“The Evil God didn’t give me any help.”

Lu Li thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s because I’m more sensitive.”

He noticed that what he was stepping on wasn’t flat, but slightly raised.

He noticed that other objects appeared in the flowing sand, breaking the surface pattern.

Whenever there was a slight anomaly in the environment, he would detect it keenly.

In the Laboratory, he had undergone countless stages of ability enhancement. One stage involved training his perception while keeping all his stats on the verge of collapse without actually collapsing.

He didn’t like recalling that experiment, because it was when his sleep was worst and his mental state most unstable.

When a Researcher entered the Experiment Chamber and disrupted the sense of order he had established, he lost control and killed someone.

He didn’t remember how many people died, only that he saw blood that day.

It turned out normal human blood was red.

But his blood was gray.

It was also that day he realized he must be an anomaly.

“You find clues by feeling?” Luo Jia Bai couldn’t help but mutter, “That’s a truly unique ability. You’re practically one of those people born for the Necromancer Game.”

Lu Li asked in confusion, “Those people?”

How many others were like him?

“This is a D Grade Instance, the lowest level in the Necromancer Game. There are higher-level Instances above, and Players with more Points. The top fifty Players in the rankings enter the Heavenly Ranking. Everyone who makes it onto the Heavenly Ranking has a special skill.”
Luo Jia Bai said, “Once you clear your first Instance, you’ll unlock permission to view the Heavenly Ranking, enable Bullet Comments in the Live Stream Room, access the Player Forum, and even apply for Instance Vacation. But the prerequisite is that you have to make it out of here alive.”

Lu Li clicked his tongue in amazement. “Aside from the high mortality rate, the Necromancer Game is actually pretty interestingly designed.”

Suddenly, both of their Wristbands vibrated.

[Key Item Exploration Progress: +0.2]

“It’s because of the Note you found,” Luo Jia Bai speculated after reading through the contents. “This is one of the pages from Nuo Nuo’s Diary. There should be four more Notes like this. Once we collect all the pieces and form the complete Key Item, we’ll know how to answer Nuo Nuo’s question.”

“Can you see where the remaining four Notes are?”

“I can,” Lu Li glanced at the group of Players gathered together. “Unfortunately, none of them drifted our way.”

“I found a Note!” Qi Mingda’s Female Teammate suddenly shrieked. “It’s a Diary entry, and my Item progress just moved! There are four more-everyone, let’s search together!”

The Female Teammate loudly read out the contents of the Note she had picked up:

March 3rd, Overcast

School let out early today, but I didn’t leave. Anyway, as soon as I get home, they start fighting and throwing things. It’s better to stay at School and do my homework.

Yesterday, my clothes were dirtied by other classmates. They won’t come clean, so I said I wanted to buy new ones.

Mom said I’m a burden, said I’m a money pit, said she hates me.

I won’t buy new clothes anymore.

Maybe then Mom won’t hate me.

But, what does it mean to hate? Didn’t they say before that they’d love me forever?

Oh, right, there’s a crafts class this afternoon. I folded a Castle out of paper and colored it with watercolor pens. The Castle is big and beautiful.

Once Dad and Mom finish fighting, and we become a happy family again, we’ll move into this Castle together and live happily ever after.

*

The Female Teammate frowned as she finished reading. “What does this Diary even mean?”

“The whole ‘happy family’ thing is fake. The mom probably hates her the most. No wonder the mom’s face is missing in the Family Portrait,” Qi Mingda snatched the Note away and waved dismissively. “Hurry up and find the other four Notes. So stupid.”

The pile of sand grew higher and higher.

Hearing this, several Players bent over, their expressions tense as they began searching for the remaining Notes. Someone exchanged for a Net Bag and started sifting through the sand repeatedly. Soon, another Note was found. “Brother Qi, here’s another one!”

Qi Mingda reached out his hand. “Give it to me.”

“What kind of Note do you two have?” He noticed Lu Li and Luo Jia Bai not far away and ordered rudely, “Hand it over to me too!”

Lu Li didn’t move. “Why should I give it to you?”

“Because I’m the strongest one here right now! Only by giving me the Item can its power be maximized. If you don’t, are you deliberately trying to get everyone else killed?”

Qiao Ren fanned the flames, “You look all pretty, but who knew you’d be so malicious!”

The two of them sang in chorus, but it was met with silence. Lu Li didn’t respond at all.

Qi Mingda was so angry his nostrils flared. He turned his attention to Luo Jia Bai, who was holding an Item. “Bandaged Guy! Lu Li’s got a backbone and a tough life-do you think your luck is as good as his?”

Luo Jia Bai pressed his lips together, his expression shifting slightly.

Qiao Ren had already struggled over to Luo Jia Bai and reached out to snatch it. “Hand it over! With the Item in your hands, it’s just being wasted!”

“Ah-!”

Suddenly, the Female Teammate who was searching for Items in the sand screamed, her upper body sinking into the sand, her face filled with terror. “Something’s pulling me from below! Help!”