Chapter 16: Rose Manor (XV) 1:00 PM

"You see, sometimes there is no need for much debate. By simply hiding in the shadows to observe and pry, one can obtain all the information we desire."

"Sister Zou, this isn't your second time entering a dungeon, is it? Newcomers wouldn't have items like that. You're a veteran who spent points to specify this dungeon, aren't you?"

In Guest Room 1, Zou Yan and Ye Zi sat before the writing desk, their eyes fixed on the 'Eye of Hermes' resting on the table.

Zou Yan smiled at Ye Zi and said, "You aren't simple either, are you? You and Shen Ming knew each other in reality, right?"

Ye Zi’s eyes widened. After a long moment, she feigned composure and replied, "He is my uncle. I owe some money and I’m not afraid of death, so he said this game was a fast way to make cash. I’m not really close to him, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so disgusted by me that he refused to acknowledge our relationship. But Sister Zou, how did you figure out I knew him?"

Zou Yan was noncommittal toward her sophistry, the smile on her lips deepening. "Don't you think you were being too obvious? I also know that you are both from 'Sera'."

She suddenly reached out to gently hold Ye Zi’s right hand, pressing down on her little finger.

On the girl’s previously smooth, fair knuckle, a black ring slowly emerged. Its surface featured an embossed decorative butterfly that, upon a second look, also resembled the English letter "S".

Zou Yan pulled the black ring off the girl’s finger. During the process, the latter was unable to move, only able to gasp "ho-ho" sounds from her throat, her eyes filled with terror.

A resounding bell tolled outside the door. It was one o'clock in the afternoon.

Zou Yan tilted her head to study the fear in Ye Zi’s eyes. Smiling, she placed her hand over the girl’s neck, her gaze pious and serene.

"God will not bless you."

...

"Shen Ming was a member of the Sera Guild. Liu Qingye knew Shen Ming, so I suspect she was one too." Chang Xu reached out to push aside the vines dangling over his face, his voice as calm as a lake.

On the third floor of the ancient castle, black-green plant tentacles burst forth from the four corners of the level, crawling along the grey-black walls like reptiles. Every inch of the wall was partitioned by the web-like branches and leaves.

The thick plants displayed vigorous vitality, growing to the ceiling at a speed visible to the naked eye and hanging down to the floor, sealing off the space layer by layer. Even a small, agile child would find it difficult to pass through the intricate maze of branches.

Qi Si tried to make a cut in a vine as thick as a finger with his blade. Green sap splashed onto his face, quickly congealing into fuzzy tentacles that burrowed into his skin. He hurriedly raised his hand to tear them away, but ended up peeling off a thin layer of skin along with them.

"These vines are interesting. Could it be a setting where they can parasitize the human body?" Qi Si sheathed his blade and, like Chang Xu, used his hands to clear a path barely wide enough for a person. "...How did you know Shen Ming was from the Sera Guild?"

He didn't know what the "Sera Guild" was, but judging by Chang Xu's matter-of-fact tone, the guild must be quite famous—the kind that veteran players would definitely know.

Considering his identity as a "second-time dungeon entrant," he suppressed his curiosity and didn't ask foolish questions like "What is the Sera Guild?"

Chang Xu stopped in his tracks, fished something resembling a ring from his pocket, and handed it to Qi Si to look at.

It was a black ring, simple in design, adorned only with a black butterfly carving twisted into the letter "S".

"I found this on Shen Ming. It’s their token," Chang Xu said. "The Sera Guild’s research into the Weird Game is very advanced; they can already manufacture some items that can be brought into the game. Like this ring, its effect is to increase the probability of two people entering the same dungeon."

The Sera Guild... they can manufacture their own items, can they?

Qi Si’s eyes brightened, and he subconsciously stroked the bracelet on his right wrist.

...

Seeming to notice the young man’s curiosity, Chang Xu said indifferently, "If you are interested in this information, you can check the forums yourself. Basically, all publicly available information is there."

Thinking of something, he added, "The Sera Guild has committed many heinous acts and is now a public enemy. They are being hunted down by various factions in both the game and reality. It’s only a matter of time before they are rooted out."

Was he worried about me joining that so-called "Sera Guild"?

Qi Si, fearing nothing, raised an eyebrow at Chang Xu: "Looking at it this way, Shen Ming’s death couldn't possibly be unrelated to you, Brother Chang, could it?"

Chang Xu looked at him in confusion and asked earnestly, "How so?"

"For example—you hold a grudge against the Sera Guild, and after identifying Shen Ming, you deliberately violated the Weird rules to lure ghosts into the room, killing him with a borrowed knife."

"Hmm? ...I didn't."

"Boring."

Behind the cover of the vines was a tightly shut door, its rusted keyhole filled with dust.

Qi Si stepped forward, pulled a thin wire from his bracelet, and inserted it into the keyhole to manipulate the lock.

A few seconds later, with a "click," the door opened.

Witnessing this, Chang Xu looked suspicious: You call yourself a specimen maker?

Qi Si retracted the wire, stepped back, and smiled at Chang Xu: "Brother Chang, I have a bit of a phobia regarding cleanliness; please forgive me."

Chang Xu looked at the thick layer of dust on the door handle and didn't harbor too much suspicion, taking the lead to push the door open and enter.

It must be said that there are some benefits to teaming up with a veteran player. If Lin Chen were here, just coaxing someone to go in and step on landmines would have taken forever.

Qi Si waited two seconds, leisurely and unhurried. Seeing no abnormalities, he followed slowly.

The room before them seemed to have been unvisited for a long time. As the guests stepped inside, dust swirled in the air, accompanied by a decaying scent known as "days of old."

In the center of the room stood a large bed covered by an unfolded quilt, now blanketed in a thick layer of dust. From the bumps on the surface, it was clear that two people were lying underneath.

Qi Si stepped forward and pulled back the quilt.

Underneath, two skeletons lay side-by-side on the bed, their white bones chilling to the core.

Qi Si stared fixedly at the scene. For a split second, the boundary between reality and the game blurred before his eyes, and countless memories that should have been deliberately forgotten surged in his mind.

First the red dress under the bedsheets, then the skeletons in the quilt... I have to say, Miss Anna’s aesthetic is surprisingly identical to mine...

After a long silence, Qi Si let out a low laugh: "These two must be Miss Anna’s parents."

Chang Xu looked at the stark white skeletons, a chill running down the back of his neck. He couldn't help but ask, "How do you know?"

The smile on Qi Si’s face didn't fade: "I guessed."

...

He straightened up, looking down at the skeletons lying quietly on the bed.

Death is inevitable, and the dead are silent. Only the living, unable to accept it, use various means to futilely preserve the remains of the dead, deceiving themselves by letting them linger in the state they were in before they passed, as a memorial.

—That is the meaning of specimen making.

Qi Si reached under the pillow the skeletons were resting on and, sure enough, felt a few scraps of paper.

Gripping them between two fingers, he pulled the papers out and saw lines of text written on them.

...

[Anna and Annie were born at the same time. According to ancient legends, one of the twins is born carrying a curse. We do not believe this; they are both our dearest daughters, and we only want them to grow up happily.]

...

[Anna is always so obedient, but Annie always has all sorts of strange ideas. It’s truly a headache.]

...

[Anna is becoming more and more beautiful. She is so perfect, and she will find happiness. Annie’s behavior is becoming more and more bizarre. We suspect she wants to do something to Anna. We are holding a banquet at home, so let’s lock her in her room for a day first.]

...

[The family cat is dead. We found the cat’s carcass in Annie’s room. She killed the cat and used its blood to draw all sorts of terrifying runes on the wall. She is cursing us!]

...

[Our illness is getting worse; we are going to die... It must be Annie...]

...

The notes ended abruptly there.

A teeth-grinding "creak" suddenly came from the direction of the bed.

Qi Si jerked his head up. The two skeletons on the bed had sat bolt upright at some point and were turning their heads toward him.

His fingertips felt a hint of dampness. On the paper in his hand, the black text was turning red inch by inch, seeping out of the paper like blood and dripping downward.

He let go, but the paper seemed stuck to his hand, impossible to shake off. The blood-colored text sprouted tentacles that burrowed into his skin...

Qi Si’s pupils contracted.