Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Qi Yang’s eyes widened in shock when he heard that Ning Shuo had been targeted, but he visibly relaxed upon learning that Ning Wang had rescued him.

The way he looked at Ning Wang was no longer filled with quite as much fear; instead, it was more like awe.

It seemed the lingering trauma from the roller coaster ride had faded significantly.

Qi Yang whispered, “Was the Half-Immortal targeted because of Good Deed Points?”

There were currently four people on the field with Good Deed Points: Rao Lin, Song Zhu, Qi Yang, and Luo Li.

He added softly, “If someone is targeted for not having enough Good Deed Points, with so many players here, they wouldn’t just target the Half-Immortal alone.”

Seeing everyone looking at him, Qi Yang instinctively fell silent. Luo Li said, “That’s a good point. It’s a possibility.”

She looked at Ning Wang. “After all, in terms of being ‘bad,’ you and Zhang Qicheng’s lot are much worse. If it wasn’t random, it shouldn’t have been Ning Shuo.”

“And if it was random, then he can only blame his own bad luck.”

They tabled this point for the time being. They discussed things for a while longer, planning to wait until evening to observe the outside before deciding further. However, before the meeting could adjourn, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the room.

A Player shouted in the hallway, “Zhang… Murong Chuan is dead!”

***

Zhang Qicheng, code name Murong Chuan.

He was sharing a room with a friend. As he changed his clothes, the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.

How could he be so unlucky as to be matched into the same Script as those High-level Players!?

And then there was that idiot who seemed close to the High-level Players from the start but had clearly never played many games.

Why were those High-level Players even carrying such a fool?!

He had also lost his head for a moment, not expecting the NPCs in this Script to be so clever. Trying to make that idiot take the fall simply hadn’t worked.

It had even caused him to lose points.

Zhang Qicheng grew angrier the more he thought about it. His roommate was also unhappy about losing points, and after a few words, they started arguing. His partner slammed the door and left.

Left alone in the room, Zhang Qicheng finished changing and checked himself in the Full-length Mirror leaning against the wall.

Whether it was the lighting or something else, Zhang Qicheng felt he looked very pale in the mirror.

How did that saying go? Pale as a corpse.

He chuckled inwardly at his ability to joke at a time like this; he really was an optimist.

Still, having lips with no color at all was a bit much.

He was halfway through turning around when he suddenly realized that his reflection in the mirror hadn’t moved at all.

Zhang Qicheng stared at the mirror in horror. He wanted to leave, but his legs were frozen in place, unable to move.

In the mirror, the face of “Zhang Qicheng,” pale to the point that even his lips were colorless, let out a faint smile.

As the “him” in the mirror broke into a grin, Zhang Qicheng’s own mouth uncontrollably curled into a grotesque arc.

The mirror shattered abruptly, and Zhang Qicheng felt a cold sensation on his face.

Then, before he could even feel the pain of the glass shards slicing his skin, a hand reached out from the broken mirror.

It grabbed Zhang Qicheng by the hair and slammed his head into the glass shards over and over, as if trying to pull him inside.

***

When the Players reached Zhang Qicheng’s room, they saw the corpse.

Zhang Qicheng’s face was covered in lacerations from the shards. His forehead was a bloody mess, with bone faintly visible.

Yet, despite this, Zhang Qicheng looked as if he were immersed in a beautiful dream, a peaceful smile fixed on his face.

His chest was hollow; his heart was gone. In its place was a single rose, its stem covered in prickly thorns and its petals glistening with dew.

If this flower hadn’t been blooming out of a corpse, it would have looked like the kind of flower one would take a photo of to post on social media.

Thinking this, Ning Shuo couldn’t help but remark, “The Murderer’s MO is actually quite romantic.”

The Player who shared the room with Zhang Qicheng-and who seemed to be a close friend-heard this and glared at Ning Shuo. “The man is dead! Can’t you show some respect!?”
Ning Shuo: ?

He asked playfully, “Which part of what I just said was wicked?”

Ning Wang sneered, “Haven’t you seen enough corpses in these Scripts? And here you are, wailing like it’s a funeral.”

Luo Li chewed her bubblegum and hit the nail on the head: “You seem very reluctant to let him go? You’re welcome to go join him.”

Qi Yang whispered, “You look like you were on pretty good terms with him now, but I live across from you. I heard you two arguing before. You even blamed him for making you lose points. If you hadn’t left him alone in the room, maybe you could have saved him…” After all, Ning Wang had managed to wake the King.

Song Zhu said coldly, “Stop snapping at people like a rabid dog.”

Seeing that they had finished all the necessary scolding, Rao Lin hesitated for a long time before squeezing out: “…Teacher Song is right!”

The other Players remained bystanders, looking almost exactly as they did when they were washing dishes.

The difference was that this time, the object of their observation wasn’t Qi Yang.

The corpse drew the Butler and the Servants. Upon seeing the NPCs, the Players no longer stood by as they had before; they all began to wail, crying out about how he could have died.

Because there were so many Players, some hadn’t even remembered Zhang Qicheng’s code name and could only howl aimlessly.

As soon as the Butler entered and saw so many people wailing, he exclaimed, “Oh! Sky God! What is going on here?!”

This was the second time Ning Shuo had heard the name “Sky God.”

It seemed to be the faith of everyone in the Ancient Castle.

The Butler pushed aside the wailing Players. Holding the rose in his hands, he acted as if he hadn’t seen the corpse at all, his eyes filled with fanaticism. “It is so… it is indeed so!”

The Players weren’t sure if they should continue crying. Instead, the Butler ordered the Servants to carry the body away. When he prepared to leave, the Players instinctively tried to follow him.

The Butler raised his hand. As if his previous fanaticism had never existed, he remained refined and elegant. “Please stay, guests. This is a secret that guests must not know.”

What happens if a secret is discovered by a guest?

If it cannot be known by a guest, then it will be known by a dead man.

The subtext automatically filled in by the Players made them all take two steps back. Ning Shuo smoothed things over nonchalantly: “Apologies, Host. We only wanted to see if there was anywhere we could be of help.”

The Butler nodded. “It is good that the guests have such intentions. I trust you can apply this kindness elsewhere. Lian Lu will record your good deeds.”

The NPCs arrived in a grand procession and left just as grandly, leaving behind a mess and a single rose petal that had drifted down while the body was being moved.

Just as Ning Shuo was about to pick up the petal, the Player who claimed to be Zhang Qicheng’s friend, code-named Xiang Henian, snatched it up first and put it into his Backpack.

Ning Wang was about to say something, but Ning Shuo held him back and smiled. “That’s a good item. Keep it safe.”

Xiang Henian: ?

Looking puzzled, he instinctively glanced at Rao Lin, only to see Rao Lin whispering with Song Zhu. He could only catch fragments of words: “…experience… clues… Backpack… attracting monsters…”

Xiang Henian’s body stiffened. He immediately thought: According to the experience of High-level Players, putting clues in the Backpack easily attracts monsters.

Looking at Ning Shuo again, Xiang Henian felt that the man’s schemes were practically written all over his face!

But since he had already put it in his Backpack, he couldn’t exactly take it out immediately. He could only watch as Ning Shuo and the others walked away.

After moving out of the other Players’ line of sight, Rao Lin said seemingly casually, “Our coordination was quite seamless. We really seem like partners who have fought together many times.”

Ning Shuo laughed and bumped fists with him. “Who knows? It’s probably quite likely.”

Just as their fists touched, Ning Shuo was pulled away by someone else. “Hey! What are you doing?”

Ning Wang: “I think my hand is injured.”

“…Think? If you’re injured, you’re injured. Why use the word ‘think’?”