Chapter 1

Chapter 1

[Is he here yet?]

[No, roles haven’t even been assigned yet.]

[Why is everyone watching this newbie?]

[Watching a newbie’s reaction is the best part. What’s there to see with the veterans? They’re all more poker-faced than the last, barely giving any reaction at all. It’s much better to watch a newbie piss themselves in fear.]

[This newbie’s name is actually quite nice.]

[+1.]

[To be honest, this name sounds like a male lead in a novel.]

[He looks like he’d be handsome just from the name. Maybe we’ll get to see a pretty boy’s face twist in terror.]

[What’s wrong with the person above me?]

[Haven’t we all become a bit twisted after staying in this game for so long?]

[I just clicked into a random Live Stream Room in the Newbie Zone. It’s the preparation room! Watching newbies look terrified is really fun! Plus, we can see what kind of aliases they come up with for entertainment.]

[Same here!]

[Alright, we get it, there are plenty of creeps in the System.]

[He’s coming, he’s coming!]

Ning Shuo opened his eyes to find a face looming extremely close to his.

A Clown, his face covered in garish, grotesque paint, forced a pen and paper into his hands and giggled, “Hello there, Player! Why don’t you give yourself an alias!”

[What a magnificent face! Gold-rimmed glasses! And side-parted medium-length hair!! Tying it up like that is just… criminally beautiful!!]

[I could put a picture of this face by my bed to help me fall asleep at night!!]

[Sisters, don’t get too excited. If he dies today, you’ll be heartbroken.]

[I bet he’s going to ask where he is and beg them to let him go because he wants to go home, haha!]

Ning Shuo smiled. “Can I choose any alias I want?”

[???]

[Why isn’t he following the script?]

[He’s definitely just acting tough!]

Seeing that he wasn’t flustered in the slightest, the Clown burst into a loud laugh. “Of course! Anything goes.”

Ning Shuo thought for a moment. “Then… let’s go with Ning Banxian.”

The camera zoomed in on the paper, showing his alias to the audience.

[Is he planning to walk up to a Ghost/Monster and tell them they have a great calamity coming their way? Hahaha!]

[How boring. I thought he was some kind of badass newbie, but it turns out he’s just a poser. I’m leaving.]

[Wait, why are people attacking him over an alias? It’s not like other players haven’t picked flashy names before. Didn’t some chuunibyou girl once call herself ‘Ice-Dream-Glazed-Love-Sorrow’?]

Seeing that the alias wasn’t his real name, the corners of the Clown’s mouth stretched almost to his ears. “Next, I shall formally introduce you to this game.”

Ning Shuo said politely, “Excuse me, but could you move back a little?”

The Clown thought he was afraid and his smile became even more eerie. “And why is that? Are you scared?”

Ning Shuo replied, “The paint on your face has a bit of a rancid smell. I have a weak constitution, so I can’t quite handle it.”

The Clown: “…”

[He’s got guts. The Clown’s face literally froze.]

[Help, he’s so brave!]

[So he’s a sickly one. No wonder his skin is so pale.]

Instead of backing away, the Clown leaned even closer to Ning Shuo. “Hehe! I won’t!”

Ning Shuo was nothing if not flexible. “Alright, as you wish.”

[Coward.]

[And here I thought he was brave. Guess not.]

[To the people above: as if you dared to provoke the Clown the first time you entered this game.]

[I remember a newbie once tried to get physical as soon as they entered the waiting room. They ended up being beaten half to death by the Clown. If someone hadn’t carried them through the Script, they would’ve been a goner. Hey, who was that again? Surely not one of the people talking smack just now? [Innocent.jpg]]

…

The Clown’s exaggerated movements suddenly stiffened. His gaze fixed straight ahead, looking like a puppet that had abruptly lost its soul.

He spoke mechanically, “Welcome, Player, to the Immersive Murder Mystery Game.

Next, I will announce the rules for the PVP Mode.

1. Identities are divided into two factions: Murderer and Innocent;

2. The Murderer must kill at least one person. They are forbidden from hiding the body, dismembering it, or performing any other actions that damage the victim’s body. They must successfully escape during the Accusation phase. Only after a successful escape can they choose whether to exit the Script;”
3. Innocents must go to the Notary Office to find the Clown and make an Accusation against the Murderer. If the Accusation is incorrect, the Innocent dies; if correct, the Murderer dies, and the accusing Innocent may choose whether to exit the Script.

4. In addition to their hidden identity, players must roleplay their Script characters well. Failure to do so will result in consequences at the player’s own risk.

5. Not just the Murderer-all players are allowed to lie.

6. For other Hidden Rules, players are encouraged to explore on their own.

Additional Rule: Lethal weapons are not permitted in the Backpack, especially swords.”

The Additional Rule seemed like it had been tacked on specifically for someone.

A sword?

Compared to guns and bullets, how much of a lethal weapon was a sword really?

Having finished explaining the rules, the Clown suddenly snapped out of it and began screaming around Ning Shuo in frustration.

However, Ning Shuo ignored him completely.

Finally, the Clown hung his head and dejectedly fished out a card from his person.

Ning Shuo figured there must be restrictions on how the Murderer could kill. Otherwise, they could just kill everyone before the Innocents found the Notary Office and claim an immediate victory.

With that thought, Ning Shuo casually took the identity card the Clown shoved at him.

[Your Script character: Priest Ning Banxian.]

No wonder they made everyone use aliases.

When a person is disoriented, they might not realize an alias is referring to them.

If a Ghost/Monster calls out to you and you don’t respond, it’s practically the same as exposing yourself.

As Ning Shuo was thinking, his gaze shifted to the small print below.

[Your hidden identity: Murderer. Killing condition: Night of the full moon.]

{Whoa, how intense.}

Ning Shuo: “…”

Ning Shuo asked, “Did you do that on purpose? Can I take back what I said?”

He immediately offered praise: “Your painted face is truly one of a kind, unmatched under the heavens. The person who painted this face must be remarkably talented.”

The Clown immediately burst into a manic laugh. He spread his arms, took two steps back, and cackled, “What a sweet-talking gentleman. Now, please enjoy your Script!”

Since you’ve already called me sweet-talking, can’t you really change my identity?

Before Ning Shuo could try to keep him there, the Clown snapped his fingers, and the surroundings went black.

When the lights returned, Ning Shuo was standing on a high platform, looking down from above.

[Welcome, Player, to the single-Murderer PvP Script: Li Kingdom Cold Case.]

Ning Shuo held his head high, then stole a glance at the people kneeling below.

Good grief, that’s a lot of heads.

He blended into the role of the “Priest” with complete naturalness, spreading his arms as he lamented, “O Great Rain God, please bestow some sweet nectar upon this country that you have not graced for so long!”

A Virtual Screen suddenly appeared before him, flashing a red warning.

[Warning! Warning! OOC warning! The Priest is solemn and does not smile. Warning! Warning!]

[Newbie protection has been exhausted. Players must mind their words and deeds when confirming their character’s persona!]

Ning Shuo immediately pulled back his bared teeth.

Whoa, there was actually newbie protection.

{This is killing me. He’s the first person I’ve seen burn through newbie protection that fast. Did that even last five seconds? Hahaha!}

{If he hadn’t suddenly pulled that stunt, it might not have been so easy to go OOC.}

{What kind of decent Priest performs a ritual with his teeth bared in a grin!}

{I’ve watched this Script so many times, and I’ve never seen anyone playing the Priest come out with a line like that.}

Just as he was pondering his next move, a hand suddenly reached out to his shoulder. A man who looked like an Attendant smiled eerily. “Lord Ning, it is time to offer the sacrifices and recite the prayer.”

{Whoa, this NPC is pretty sensitive. He got suspicious fast.}

{Did no one notice that he actually realized this ritual was for praying for rain? Was it a fluke?}

{It has to be a fluke. How could anyone tell this was a prayer for rain?}

{We’re at this part already? This newbie is in trouble.}