Chapter 1
Chapter 1
[Reading Guide:]
1. Criticism is fine-criticize all you want. It’s a good thing when web fiction has a hundred schools of thought contending. But don’t drag the author into it just because of a character. Remember: different people see different sides of the same thing, and nothing stays the same forever. If you curse the author over some minor supporting character, the author will turn into a mirror and reflect it all back-bounce, bounce, bounce!
2. Feel free to point at the world and talk big. Even if you say it, I still won’t change it.
3. If you don’t want to read anymore, just turn right and leave. No need to tell me goodbye-let’s split cleanly.
4. There’s no such thing as love for no reason. Everything leaves a trail. The truth has to be uncovered slowly…
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“Holy shit! What is that?”
Qiao Yu… no-right now, he should be called Qiao Yu.
Qiao Yu was scared out of his mind. The very next second, his vision spun as if the world had flipped upside down-his head dropped straight down at a full 180 degrees, hit the floor, and rolled several circles, instantly getting his face and hair coated in dust.
This was a dim basement. Pale moonlight slipped through a window no bigger than a palm, laying a thin, foggy veil over everything inside.
Up ahead was a short staircase leading to the floor above. He could just make out a dark red iron door, left slightly ajar.
But all of that was secondary. The problem was what Qiao Yu was staring at right now: the dressing table. On the mirror’s smooth surface were four large, blood-dripping words:
GO DIE!
Off to the side, his body was slanted against the single bed. Above the neck was nothing-empty air-while the cut was unnaturally clean and smooth. His long, pale fingers still clenched an apartment rental flyer.
[Ping’an Apartment for Rent: Built in 1998, brick-and-wood structure, 4 floors total. Convenient transportation, comfortable environment, discounted prices. Minimum 500 yuan per month, one month’s deposit and one month’s rent. Details discussed in person. Address: ********]
He’d only come because the place looked like a great deal, planning to handle move-in paperwork. So why had he suddenly blacked out-and ended up here??
Beep-
[Welcome to the Nine Lives Live Stream. Live Assistant 9999999 is at your service.]
Qiao Yu blinked. “Why 9999999?”
[Because I’m 6-tastic!]
Qiao Yu: “…”
[Streamer, please register an ID as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.]
Qiao Yu lifted his gaze to the blue-glowing screen in front of him. The sheer sci-fi feel of it left him reeling.
[Streamer, please register your ID!]
It took him a long while, with the Live Assistant repeatedly urging him on, before he finally managed to roll his head over to the bed. He reached out, picked up his own head, and-creepily-put himself back together.
He twisted his neck a little, making sure nothing felt off. Then he reached out and tapped the screen, stubbornly switching the keyboard from a 26-key layout to a 9-key grid.
With that grimy little face of his, he started naming himself at a snail’s pace.
Qiao Yu.
[Sorry, this ID has already been registered.]
Qiao Yu let out a disappointed sigh. Fair enough-there were over a billion people in China. The odds of a duplicate were sky-high.
Then… Qiao Yu? His current name-the one this body had-should work, right?
[Sorry, this ID has already been registered.]
Forget it. Qiao Yu’s patience finally snapped.
Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Er Mazi, Long Aotian, Li Goudan, Insanely Cool, Crazy Boss, and Totally Explosive…
[Sorry…]
[Sorry…]
[Sorry…]
Fuck!
I’m Your Dad!
[Congratulations, streamer I’m Your Dad, registration successful! Live stream account locked. The streamer’s debut will begin in five minutes.]
Qiao Yu: “…”
Goddamn it!
[This Instance is titled-Ping’an Apartment. After entering the Instance, the streamer must summarize at least three killing rules used by vengeful ghosts, and successfully survive inside the apartment for 7 days.
Of course, you have a second option. If you encounter danger, you may search for a Review Card to review the game and end it early. If the accuracy of the reviewed storyline reaches 70% or higher, you can successfully escape. If you fail, you will be erased immediately. Streamer, please collect as many clues as possible.]
Instance start countdown: 4 minutes, 26 seconds.
Qiao Yu stared at the blue-glowing quest panel in front of him and swallowed hard.
During the brief wait in the Live Stream Room, the viewer count in the upper right corner had ticked up from 0 to 13.
-Whoa, why is this streamer’s face covered in soot right from the start? The Instance hasn’t even begun yet. How did he get so disheveled?
-Maybe he just has a naturally unlucky face?
[5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Instance starting. Total number of streamers participating in this Instance: 7. The system wishes Streamer I’m Your Dad good luck.]
-What kind of hellish ID is that? Who would ever give him a tip!
-Speechless! This kind of arrogant player definitely won’t last five minutes. I’m out, I’m going to watch a veteran streamer instead.
-No, this name is too obnoxious. I want to see him die with my own eyes.
-Fine by me. The streamer I follow isn’t live anyway. I’ll stick around to see how he gets himself killed. Consider it a contribution to his ‘popularity.’
Qiao Yu: …
Who would want this kind of popularity? This damn stream system is screwing me over.
A faint scent of blood wafted through the air. Qiao Yu frowned and instinctively covered his nose. As he looked down, he saw a strange, eerie pattern drawn on the ground in fresh blood, looking like some sort of ghostly talisman. Scattered beside the pattern were rusted iron scraps, upon which several blurred numbers were faintly visible, though he couldn’t quite make out what they were.
Just as Qiao Yu was about to crouch down for a closer look, a cheerful nursery rhyme suddenly drifted into the Basement from outside the ajar Iron Door, growing clearer by the second.
“Weave, weave, weave a flower basket, weave a flower basket to take to South Mountain, South Mountain is covered in red peony flowers…”
Qiao Yu shivered at the sound of the creepy nursery rhyme.
Damn it, can’t they give me something a bit more normal!
[Ding-The streamer’s luck is through the roof! You have unexpectedly obtained a Review Card. Congratulations.]
A Review Card? Qiao Yu squinted as he searched the room, finally spotting a plain white card on the dressing table. Three simple characters were printed on it: Review Card.
Nothing else.
*Creak-*
The crimson Iron Door opened quietly under the cover of the nursery rhyme. A flash of a red hem passed by the empty doorway, but Qiao Yu, completely unaware, was still looking down, studying the thin card in his hand.
Meanwhile, the Live Stream Room was in an uproar, and the viewer count instantly surged to 36.
-An ‘opening kill’ right at the start??
-Incredible. What ‘good luck’ my ass, hahaha. Is a Review Card that easy to get? Lighting a candle for the streamer in my heart.
-Heeheehee, I want to see the streamer’s blood splatter everywhere~
Qiao Yu studied the card for a long time but couldn’t figure out what was so special about it. This wasn’t just ‘low-key’; it was literally just a plain little card. It wasn’t even as big as a playing card!
He stuffed the Review Card into his pocket, curled his lip, and looked up. At that moment, his heart, which was used to beating, suddenly seized.
The crimson Iron Door had opened at some point. A red skirt hem, even more vivid than the door itself, fluttered slowly in the breeze.
Who was… outside the door?
When did they arrive?
Qiao Yu shifted his gaze, his soot-covered face turning toward the dressing table. He noticed that the mirror on the table had changed angles at some point, clearly reflecting the stairs and the view outside the Iron Door.
A woman in a red dress was standing outside, watching him through the mirror. Her pure black eyes had no whites, blending into the night with a faint, chilling glint.
The smile on her face stretched all the way to her ears, revealing a row of white, razor-sharp teeth.
Qiao Yu instinctively leaned back. Because his heart had not beaten for a long time, his blood did not flow, making his face look extremely pale.
Fortunately, the soot on his face masked it, so it wasn’t exposed to the Live Stream Room.
-Holy crap, this ghost is so calculating. She almost scared the life out of me.
-This streamer’s mental fortitude is pretty good. He didn’t even run away in a panic or scream for help. How disappointing~
Qiao Yu glanced at the comments flying across the Live Stream Room and felt speechless.
His heart had literally stopped from fear-how could they call that ‘good’??