Chapter 68

Chapter 68

“Nights in the Manor are always so dangerous. The more people die, the more dangerous the night becomes,” Tu Nan said. “You should know that those things are the people who died miserable deaths in the Manor.”

“Yes, even if I didn’t understand at first, I should have understood eventually.” Lilith picked up the water glass beside her and took a sip before continuing, “Do you think I should be afraid? The bedroom door trembles more violently every day… but the funny thing is, as long as those people who mysteriously appear in the Manor die off, they settle down.”

“No wonder…” Jenny whispered. “So from the very beginning, we were all destined to die here.”

“Perhaps.” Lilith was noncommittal. “I originally thought that after eating that Heart, everything would end. Although Mother became unlike her former self, she still loved me, and that was enough. I wouldn’t have to go anywhere; I could live in the Manor with her forever.”

“That’s just your fantasy,” Fu Zhixing spoke coldly.

Lilith let out a giggle. “Yes, it’s just my fantasy.”

“People still come in waves, every single time! Every time, Mother forces me to eat…” She showed an expression of disgust. “I began to feel weary. Only I know that it’s completely meaningless. I started to feel that living wasn’t very interesting either; perhaps death is also a form of release. I intentionally let those people go… and as I wished, I was killed by those ‘Sheep’ who broke through the door.”

“But you didn’t die,” Tu Nan said. “Everything looped, didn’t it?”

“Yes,” Lilith said coldly. “I came back to life, everything returned to its original state, and another group of people arrived at the Manor… I ask you, who could endure such a perpetually unchanging life? I am a person, not a machine. I felt incomparable agony… but for Mother’s sake, I endured it time and time again.”

“When did you stop wanting to endure it?”

“I don’t remember either.” Lilith closed her eyes. “Do you know the taste of a Heart?”

“When it was handed to me, it was still warm, even still beating. I ate it, but I still felt it beating. It kept beating in my throat, my esophagus, my stomach.”

“One day, I will be driven mad. Before that happens, I can only save myself.”

“I tried many ways, even starting to cooperate with those mysterious people, but no matter what I did, after the dream ended, everything would return to the starting point.”

Lilith’s appearance was clearly that of a child, but her heart was already riddled with holes. She had lived for an unknown amount of time, perhaps even older than everyone present combined.

“I’m giving you one last chance,” she said, her voice carrying a faint hint of madness. “If everything returns to the starting point again this time, I will kill every person who comes here.”

If that truly happened, this Instance would become a complete dead end from then on.

Because in this world, Lilith was the only Rule.

Tu Nan suddenly paused.

It seemed that in this very instant, many things she had long forgotten resurfaced from the depths of her mind.

“Lilith.”

At the critical moment, an indifferent voice suddenly rang out.

“What are you doing?”

The group turned around. The Madam was standing on the stairs, staring down at them coldly.

“Mother,” Lilith said calmly. “I’m playing a game with them.”

“You need plenty of rest. I think you should go and rest now. The game can wait a few days.” The Madam’s voice carried a faint hint of danger. “As long as you wish, there will be many people willing to play games with you.”

Tu Nan suddenly realized: the Madam was likely about to make her move.

There were too many variables at night; she was already impatient.

The main doors to the hall had long been closed, and the entrance to the stairs was blocked by the Madam. Tu Nan looked around, but there was no path to escape.

“Seize them,” the Madam commanded.

The four of them reacted instantly, scattering in all directions.

“My Potted Plant is still in the room!” Jenny screamed. “You guys are being too sudden!”

With a “whoosh,” Ruth transformed into a small flying insect and buzzed around. Because her target was too small, those trying to catch her quickly lost track of her and turned toward the others.

“This Skill is way too cool,” Jenny remarked. “It’s much stronger than my Skill.”

Tu Nan had no Skill, so she could only play parkour in the hall.

“Lilith, didn’t you say you wanted to cooperate with us?” Tu Nan shouted loudly.
“Those without ability have no right to cooperate with me,” Lilith said coldly. “I have already told you everything I need to say. It is time for you to show me your worth.”

The opposing side had the advantage of numbers, and they gradually tightened their circle around the group.

*Think, think! I have to figure out what to do,* Tu Nan thought, racking her brain as she dodged.

Lilith’s will was paramount; currently, she was the only one who could save them.

But why… why was Lilith’s will paramount?

Tu Nan paused for a brief second.

In that single moment of hesitation, George finally saw his opening and lunged, grabbing her firmly.

“Carve out her Heart,” the Madam commanded in a frigid voice.

Fu Zhixing tried to come to her aid, but he was entangled by two others and couldn’t break free. He could only watch helplessly as a nearby footman drew a Dagger and approached Tu Nan.

“No!” Jenny screamed in terror.

She closed her eyes in agony, unable to witness the cruel scene.

“The key lies with you!”

In that split second, a wild realization suddenly struck Tu Nan.

She shouted at the top of her lungs, “Lilith, don’t you understand yet? The true source of all of this is you! This might… be a nightmare that never ends!”

Lilith’s eyes widened as she looked at her.

“What… what do you mean?”

“Make them all stop!” Tu Nan roared.

In an instant, everyone’s movements came to an eerie, Weird halt.

Ruth reverted to her original form and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, her face pale.

Jenny and Fu Zhixing also looked toward her in alarm.

“You’re saying all of this is… my nightmare?” Lilith looked at her, her expression darkening. “What is the meaning of those words?”

Tu Nan’s chest heaved. Her absurd and daring guess made her blood run hot, her mind reaching a peak of extreme excitement, causing her body to tremble slightly.

Certain overlooked details finally became clear at this moment.

The first night they arrived at the Manor, she had seen white liquid flowing from the faucet in the washroom.

At night, Fu Zhixing had seen light filtering through the window obscured by the creepers.

The blurry roses in the corner of the Manor, the thick fog surrounding the perimeter…

And the more or less strange phenomena that Jenny and the others had encountered-things that defied common sense in real life.

They were like bugs in a system.

At first, she had thought these were just smoke screens created by the Instance to confuse them, and since they didn’t seem dangerous, she had ignored them.

But in the previous two Instances, no such strange phenomena had occurred.

Thinking about it now, perhaps those were actually hints given to them by the Instance.

And the thing that made her most certain of this was that seemingly ordinary Rule from the very beginning of this Instance.

“Their will is paramount.”

Under what circumstances could a person’s will be powerful enough to dictate everything in the world?

“Haven’t you noticed? Everything that happens in this Manor follows your thoughts!”

Tu Nan’s chest heaved as she finally spoke slowly, “After that fire, you wanted your mother to come back to life. What an absurd thing, yet your mother actually did come back to life.”

Lilith’s face turned pale.

“You feared that all of this was an illusion, so the mother you imagined was Weird in every way. You yearned for freedom, but you have never left the Manor and couldn’t even imagine the world outside, so there is nothing but a void of fog beyond the Manor.”

“No… it’s not like that…” Lilith covered her ears, but Tu Nan’s voice still pierced into them like a nail.

“Whoever you want to live, lives. Likewise, whoever you want to die, dies.”

Tu Nan looked at her and said, emphasizing every word, “You possess a power nearly equal to a god over everything in this Manor.”

“Everyone’s actions are under your control, and your will is paramount. Doesn’t that explain it?”

“This is just a nightmare of yours. Because it is a dream, the master of the dream is supreme.”

“You have been deceiving yourself this whole time!”

“So… that’s how it is…” Lilith dropped her hands dejectedly, murmuring to herself. “So that’s how it is…”

She looked down at her legs, which had been useless ever since the fire.

She trembled, supporting herself on the table with both hands. Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, she stood up, inch by inch.

“Hahahaha, so that’s how it is!” Lilith couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh loudly, even as tears streamed continuously from the corners of her eyes.

“So, this really is just a dream of mine.”