In the center of the cafeteria, a large blackboard had been set up. Ms. Medina stood before it, chalk in hand, her swift strokes scratching out line after line of English.
The text was translated into the players’ native languages through the system interface, ensuring everyone could understand.
Ms. Medina would write a sentence, and at her signal, the players would read it aloud, their recitation reminiscent of preschoolers babbling their first words.
The game, it seemed, had no intention of making this particular task difficult. Even as the players stumbled through the text in their various languages, Ms. Medina showed no sign of displeasure.
Evidently, their strange pronunciations were being automatically corrected by the game system before they ever reached her ears.
"Five people died on the first day. Based on the current headcount, this instance should last about six days..."
Jiang Junjue whispered his assessment after counting the players remaining in the cafeteria.
Ms. Medina's gaze swept over him.
Without missing a beat, he began reciting the lesson: "Under the wise guidance of our great king, navigators discovered this barren land..."
Ms. Medina looked away.
Chen Lidong leaned in and murmured, "Do you know something? Just because they're not here doesn't mean they're dead."
"If they didn't show, assume they're done for. Even if they're not dead yet, they will be once Ms. Medina is through with them," Jiang Junjue said, stuffing a hand in his pocket and pulling out a cigarette to light. "But I might, in fact, know a thing or two you don't..."
Ms. Medina snapped her head around, her eyes sharp. "Let me see who is whispering back there."
Jiang Junjue and Chen Lidong fell silent. When they spoke again, it was to recite the lesson in perfectly clear tones: "The navigators lit the fire of civilization in this strange land, bringing new crops and livestock..."
Zhang Yiyu sat in a corner near the door, reciting the lesson distractedly.
A metallic scent, detectable only by her, enveloped her like a woven net. It carried a rich, cloying perfume that stirred a restless hunger deep in her stomach.
Last night, she had only consumed an arm before time constraints forced her back to her room. Before leaving, she had remembered to hastily clean up the evidence—wiping her mouth, for instance.
She had thought she could hold out longer, but some flavors, once tasted, were impossible to forget.
Even though she had eaten not long ago, the scent of a kindred source was an unbearable stimulus.
She swallowed quietly, her consciousness drifting between clarity and a haze. Soon, only a single thought remained: *feed*.
*Just for a moment. Just one more little bite. No one will notice, right?*
Lying to herself, Zhang Yiyu glanced around. Ms. Medina had her back turned, and the other players were all focused intently on the blackboard. She ducked down and tiptoed out the door.
She broke into a jog and ducked into the archive room.
The moment she saw the mangled corpse on the floor, she could no longer suppress her instincts. She pounced like a wild animal, tearing into a limb still threaded with bloody sinew.
Flesh and blood slid down her throat, bringing an intense wave of satisfaction. The intoxicating aroma filled her senses.
*I'm becoming more and more like a monster,* Zhang Yiyu thought.
This time, she had covered herself in blood. The other players were bound to be suspicious. Even if she made it out of this instance alive, the Weird Investigation Bureau would never let her go...
It wasn't supposed to be like this. They had promised that big shot would look after her, but now she was abandoned here all alone...
That's right. The Bureau never took responsibility for her. They only coerced and used her. The moment a problem arose, they would surely lock her up again...
Past resentments, deliberately suppressed, now surfaced. A sudden exhaustion washed over Zhang Yiyu, and she sank into a squat, staring blankly at the ravaged corpse before her.
The sound of shuffling footsteps echoed behind her, and she caught the scent of an approaching, uncanny presence.
A long, narrow shadow fell over her, carrying with it a pulsing crimson light. A thread of fear, born from the depths of her soul, took root.
Trembling, she turned her head and saw the NPC boy who called himself "47" standing casually in the doorway, watching her with an unreadable smile.
Black smoke shifted and coiled behind him, where a blood-red halo and golden vines intertwined, their flickering light casting faint, sporadic speckles on the floor.
In the dim morning light, the boy's face was a mask of shadows.
Backlit by the doorway, he smiled and asked, feigning ignorance, "What are you doing here?"
...
When Qi Si finished preparing his dark culinary creation, the hour hand of the Fate Pocket Watch pointed exactly to seven.
He strolled back to the concrete building and, from a distance, heard the chaotic recitation coming from the cafeteria. The specific words were unintelligible, making it sound like a chorus of wailing ghosts.
He had no desire to join the ranks of textbook chanters just yet, so he headed toward the offices instead.
The sound of reading faded as he walked away, replaced by a faint, indistinct noise that grew clearer with every step.
A series of sharp cracks and crunches echoed, as if someone were gnawing on hard bones.
The sounds of gulping and wet slurps followed, announcing the presence of something unnatural feeding just ahead.
The noises came from the archive room, where Yamakawa Nobuhiro's body lay.
Qi Si mentally reviewed the clues he had gathered, clutched his Fate Pocket Watch, and walked calmly toward the sound.
The first thing he saw was Zhang Yiyu, devouring the corpse's flesh like a wild beast.
The girl was on her hands and knees, tearing at the body before her, lost in a primal frenzy of consumption, completely unaware of his approach.
The saying "good children don't want to eat their food, they just want to eat dirt" seemed strangely fitting, though the corpse had not yet taken on the texture of soil.
But none of this mattered to Qi Si, whose perspective had long since transcended the confines of the instance.
The Scarlet High Priest was destined to remain an outsider, a puppet master behind the curtain, a herald of disaster.
Only in desperation do people pray to gods. Only when all hope is lost do they place their faith in the intangible, isn't that so?
Qi Si moved closer and asked, "What are you doing here?"
The girl looked up, her expression a mix of bravado and fear as she threatened him. "47, you wouldn't want Ms. Medina to find out you were the one who set fire to the archive room, would you?"
Qi Si: "..."
After being inexplicably interrogated by Ms. Medina that morning, Zhang Yiyu had more or less figured things out. The archive room had been deliberately set on fire, and Ms. Medina wanted to find the arsonist without tipping them off.
For 47, a key NPC, to suddenly appear in the archive room could not possibly be a coincidence.
Coupled with his close connection to the evil god, no one would believe he had nothing to do with the fire.
Zhang Yiyu recalled Ning Xu once saying that no matter how dangerous an NPC was, as long as it hadn't fully revealed its monstrous nature, there was always room for verbal manipulation.
Although 47 seemed even more dangerous than Ms. Medina, he had yet to "awaken." Perhaps she could bluff her way through this.
Fortune favors the bold. The more she thought about it, the more resolute she became, her eyes fixed intently on Qi Si's swirling, dark-red irises.
The owner of those eyes stared blankly for two seconds before lowering his head and saying anxiously, "Number 16, since you already know, how about we keep each other's secrets? You don't tell Ms. Medina I started the fire, and I won't tell them you killed and ate someone..."
He admitted it after just a little prodding. This NPC's intelligence didn't seem very high... Zhang Yiyu felt a bit more at ease.
She crossed her arms and said coolly, "I didn't kill anyone. I was possessed by a ghost and accidentally ate someone. What you did—setting a fire—is obviously much worse. I'm a good girl. Ms. Medina is definitely more likely to believe me."
"From now on, you do as I say. If I tell you to go east, you don't go west. In return, I won't tell Ms. Medina. How about it?"
Qi Si clenched his fists resentfully and remained silent for a long while before finally mumbling, lacking confidence, "But... no matter what, someone who eats people looks way scarier than the real killer. They'll ostracize you, just like they ostracize me... But I can help you clear your name, as long as you don't snitch."
*Success!*
Zhang Yiyu relaxed, giving a slight, nonchalant nod.
Then she heard the NPC boy's tone shift. "But I've already offered my soul to my god. I have to let Him know everything I do. So... could you sign a contract with me, with Him as our witness?"
A contract? She'd been out of the game for four years—had NPCs evolved this much?
Zhang Yiyu was puzzled but asked tentatively, "What kind of contract?"
Droplets of blood materialized in the air before Qi Si, coalescing into a long, crimson scroll. Golden embroidered words appeared upon it: "I will help you survive."
Phantom vines snaked through the air, fracturing the space into diamond-like shards. A kaleidoscope of brilliant colors exploded in the cracks, refracting bizarre scenes of incomprehensible meaning.
Watching the Soul Contract's magnificent special effects, Zhang Yiyu thought to herself, *This NPC is definitely not simple.*
Before, such a strange sight would have made her wary. Now, however, she felt a secret thrill.
Striking it rich on her first adventure back—this was what playing a game was all about!
The crimson contract bore the terms of a "Pact of Faith in the Evil God," written in golden script. Zhang Yiyu saw nothing wrong with this.
She knew "47" was connected to the evil god, and her own identity mission was also related to the evil god. Now, "47" was asking her to sign this contract. It all made perfect sense.
What was the harm in believing in some random entity? It wouldn't count for anything once she left the instance anyway.
She just wanted to survive. The strongest NPC in the instance was now offering to guarantee her survival. It was an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss.
Without further hesitation, Zhang Yiyu picked up the golden quill and signed her name on the scroll.
And so, Qi Si finally learned the name of his newest pawn.
Zhang Yiyu. A common surname and first name, the kind that wouldn't draw attention or be easily remembered anywhere.
[Soul Contract has been signed. This contract is guaranteed by the world's rules and cannot be defied by any existence.]
A system notification popped up. Zhang Yiyu noticed a new [Evil God Worshipper] tag on her system interface and felt a flicker of unease.
Just as she was about to ask a question, she saw the NPC boy before her raise a hand to his cheek. He slowly peeled away a layer of human skin, revealing the face of a young man beneath.
Pale skin, refined features—a typical Asian face, bearing no resemblance to the natives of this instance.
All her bad feelings solidified into reality. The blaring danger alarms in her mind reached a fever pitch. Zhang Yiyu's eyes widened, her tongue twisting in her mouth. "You... You're..."
Qi Si had been monitoring the contract's status. After Zhang Yiyu finished signing, the newest slot in his inventory flashed twice before a golden leaf materialized within it.
He confirmed that a "Pact of Faith" was indeed equivalent to the "Pledge Soul" clause, allowing him to obtain another person's Soul Leaf.
The cases of White Crow and Xu Yao could be dismissed as coincidences born of fervent prayer, but Zhang Yiyu's contract had once again verified this equivalence, forcing Qi Si to take note.
The Soul Contract was definitely a trap. He wondered if, by diligently controlling the souls of other players, he might simply be paving the way for Qi.
Of course, now was not the time to dwell on such things.
The long scroll dissolved into infinitesimal points of light, which then fell as a rustling shower of blood-red rain, vanishing into the dusty air.
Dangling the human skin mask from his fingers, Qi Si smiled at Zhang Yiyu. "Yes, I'm a player. You can call me 'Si Qi'."
Si Qi... a familiar name...
*It's over, it's over. If he were a normal NPC, he'd at least be bound by rules. If he were a normal player, I'd be safe as long as I was obedient...*
But the problem was, "Si Qi" was a certified lunatic, officially branded as such by the Weird Investigation Bureau!
The color drained from Zhang Yiyu's face. "Si Qi, how could you..."
*How could you be here? How do you have the authority to make contracts? How did you get involved with the evil god?*
"I am the mortal agent of the Lord God Qi. I possess a portion of His authority, so naturally, I can do many things that are beyond your comprehension."
Qi Si looked down at the cowering girl, raised a finger to his lips, and offered a serene smile. "You don't need to be so hostile toward me. The contract you signed is still valid."
"I will ensure you survive this instance."
The opportunity to obtain the [Scarlet High Priest] card was hard-won, and he had to be meticulous, which included staying in character.
The phrase "behind the scenes, not on the stage" had stuck with him. As expected, he would need an agent. A... pawn.
Knowing she was trapped on a pirate ship with no hope of escape, Zhang Yiyu collapsed to the floor, on the verge of tears.
"Why did you trick me? I didn't need you! I could have survived on my own... If I hadn't thought you were an NPC, I never would have said those things to you..."
Hearing this, Qi Si gave a chilling laugh. "Do you really think survival is so easy?"
Zhang Yiyu slowly tilted her head back, staring at him dumbly.
"You made far too much noise. I could hear you from the school gate. The others surely heard you too; they just couldn't get away to investigate."
Qi Si sighed, his gaze tinged with pity. "It's human nature to ostracize the different ones in a group. They will always find some pretext to condemn the black sheep. When that time comes, you'll find there's nowhere to hide from the spotlight of so-called 'justice'."
"—Unless, of course, you have some sort of performative desire and deliberately made sure everyone knew you were eating someone?"
Her voice cracked. "But I really didn't kill him... And I was being careful not to get caught..."
Qi Si retorted, "And you think they'll believe you?"
"Uh..."
*That's right. No one would believe her. "Those who are not of our kind must have different hearts." That was the common wisdom.*
Four years ago, after exiting the game, she had naively posted on the official forums. While replying to a comment, she received a call telling her to come downstairs to pick up a food delivery.
The caller was insistent, so she went down without a second thought. But waiting for her wasn't a delivery driver; it was a team of fully armed investigators.
Trusting in the Federation as she always had, she believed she could prove her innocence and willingly went with them...
She never could have imagined that what followed would be four long years of imprisonment, control, and experimentation...
Zhang Yiyu covered her face in anguish. Then she heard Qi Si's cool, dispassionate voice. "Zhang Yiyu, as a supernatural being, are you truly content to be controlled by humans at every turn?"
*Content?*
Her thoughts drifted, recalling Ning Xu's words, the threat against her mother.
*How could I be content? Who would be, after being treated like that...*
But what could she do? She still lived among humans. She couldn't just become a ghost for real...
Qi Si studied the girl's expression, the corners of his lips curling into a smile as he adopted the persuasive cadence of a prophet:
"The supernatural will one day reign supreme, and mystery will descend upon the world. In that time, you will be able to kill anyone you wish, without reason or repercussion."
"And all you need to do is obey my every command, and become a stepping stone on my path to godhood."