The information Qi Yu provided was the real deal, he risked his neck to snatch it right from under Xie Shao’s nose. Critical and genuine.
The kind of clue that, if the players went searching on their own, they might not find even after half a day of poking around.
Unfortunately, Pei Hu didn’t believe him.
In fact, while most people couldn’t even imagine Qi Yu siding with the BOSS or developing some kind of inappropriate relationship with it, Pei Hu’s suspicion was different: he simply didn’t think Qi Yu had the skills to survive under the hands of a game ghost and still steal away key information.
That was asking too much. Even a veteran like him might not always manage it.
Pei Hu asked, “Say it again. How exactly did you discover that clue?”
Qi Yu, helpless, repeated his explanation:
“I got caught and brought before the game’s BOSS. But instead of killing me, he asked me a question.”
“What question?”
Of course, it had been about whether he’d take responsibility but that was something he absolutely couldn’t say.
Without so much as a blink, Qi Yu lied smoothly:
“He asked me why no one wanted him. I told him it was because they were blind. If he were still alive, my mom would’ve tossed me aside with joy just to hold his hand and take him shopping for little dresses.”
“The BOSS was a woman?”
“She just let you go like that?”
A yellow-haired youth who was hearing this retelling of the attic trial for the first time blurted out in surprise, only to be smacked aside by Pei Hu.
“Woman, man, what does it matter? In this game, a BOSS can be anything woman, child, genderless, even a skeleton. Don’t go yelling nonsense just because you’re inexperienced. We’re all newcomers here. Look at him, then look at yourself. Learn something!”
The yellow-haired youth sulked into silence.
Meanwhile, Qi Yu, now inexplicably set up as a role model for other rookies, endured several thoughtful stares. He could only force out a weak laugh, feeling a twinge of guilt inside.
After all, in the eyes of the others, this newbie was a natural talent: first game, meets the BOSS, survives, and even manages to get intel from the BOSS. Amazing.
But the only reason he managed that was because he and the BOSS had reached a private understanding.
Qi Yu: ashamed.jpg
Still, shame or not, bragging was necessary.
So Qi Yu described the BOSS:
“She was a really pretty little girl, wearing a pink floral dress, with long hair.
Probably because she died locked up in the attic, she carried heavy resentment. I only knew the child was hidden in the cellar because I cheered her up and she told me.”
Pei Hu: “…”
Yeah right, like hell I believe that.
This story was far too fake. Other newbies might not know better, but he did. Game bosses were vicious and bloodthirsty, killing players on a whim for fun.
The fact that in this orphanage scenario the ghosts needed specific triggers to kill was already a mercy. There’d been plenty of games where just seeing a ghost meant instant death.
But Pei Hu didn’t call him out. He figured this rookie had probably stumbled upon something, maybe a life-saving item or some other trick.
That was the sort of thing players kept secret, and he understood. After all, he had similar items himself.
So, Pei Hu just nodded and led the others to search for the cellar.
Earlier, it had been mentioned that the orphanage was a simple little building. The rooms had nothing more than a thin layer of cement smeared on the walls, without even the cheapest floor tiles.
No one had expected there to be a cellar here, that kind of structure required solid foundations.
But once they knew, finding it wasn’t difficult.
Before long, they uncovered an entrance beneath a pile of junk in the kitchen.
“Tiger-ge, come take a look!”
The yellow-haired youth shone his phone’s flashlight down. It was pitch dark inside, and the weak beam couldn’t illuminate much, but what little it revealed was enough.
Several shabby little beds were lined up together, covered in grimy old bedding. On the ground, discarded chains were strewn about.
This wasn’t a storage cellar. It was a prison.
The image of the heavy iron locks hanging on the upstairs doors flashed through Qi Yu’s mind, along with the question he’d asked himself at the time.
Was this place really an orphanage, or a jail?
Now, he had his answer.
“Th-this… Tiger-ge, do we really have to go down there?” the yellow-haired youth stammered, swallowing hard.
“Of course we’re going down,” Pei Hu said firmly. His flashlight beam slid over to the side. “Look there! piles of radishes and cabbages, even discarded cabbage leaves. Ghosts don’t need food. Someone’s hiding in there for sure.”
He reached out and patted Qi Yu on the shoulder.
“You’ve got guts, kid. Not only did the BOSS give you real information, but it was straight to the core of the mission.
“What, are you telling me good looks work even on ghosts now?”
Qi Yu: “…”
Yeah, apparently being good-looking really does go a long way, huh!
They pulled out a few coils of rope and some candles, then carefully descended the wobbly wooden ladder into the cellar.
The space below was cramped and the exit inconvenient, if something happened above while they were all inside, they’d be trapped for sure.
So Pei Hu called Qi Yu to go down with him.
Qi Yu, face twisted with misery, reluctantly agreed. The moment he stepped into the cellar, a stench of rot, sealed in for who knew how long assaulted his nose. The foul air was so strong it made his stomach heave, and he nearly vomited on the spot.
“Tiger-ge,” he said, holding his nose and rolling his eyes, “Don’t you think the kid we’re looking for probably isn’t down here? Maybe we should just go back up?”
With a stench like this… what kind of person could have the perseverance to live down here for years? Was the kid nose-dead or something?
Pei Hu, who’d gone down ahead of him, had already taken a few breaths of the cellar air. Within seconds, his eyes rolled back, and he was choking.
“Damn! What the hell, why is it so strong?”
But he forced himself on.
“No way. We came down, we’re not going back up empty-handed. Hold your nose and hurry, let’s search every corner. We have to find something.”
So the two of them endured it, holding their breath, and swept through the tiny ten square meter space. Nothing.
Qi Yu muttered, “Look at the dust, it’s piled so thick. Those cabbages and radishes are shriveled and just tossed around on the ground.
Doesn’t look like anyone’s been living here. More like… someone deliberately dumped this stuff to pretend someone lived here.”
He had barely finished speaking when a scream echoed from above. A shrill yell from the yellow-haired kid followed, mixed with the clatter of a fight breaking out.
Pei Hu instantly threw down what he was holding and scrambled up the rope ladder.
Qi Yu was closer to the ladder and could have gone up first, but as he rushed forward, his foot slipped on something, nearly sending him sprawling flat.
Luckily, Pei Hu was agile, and the cellar wasn’t deep. Within a dozen seconds, he was out. Qi Yu quickly shoved the thing that had tripped him into his jacket, then clambered up after.
But when he emerged, the kitchen was empty.
What the hell? Where did everyone go?
Qi Yu stood there stunned, glancing back at the cellar entrance. He hadn’t been down there that long.
How could it be that in the blink of an eye, it was like he’d stepped into another dimension and everyone had vanished?
The kitchen kept with the orphanage’s usual style: plain, bare, poor.
Unfinished walls, a rough brick stove, a battered wooden table dragged in from who-knows-where, a few broken cabinets stuffed with dishes, and some dust-covered pots and bowls. One look and it was obvious that there was nowhere to hide anyone.
And even if there was… why would his teammates hide from him?
The silence pressed in from all directions. No sound at all. Even Pei Hu, along with all the others had been taken in just a matter of seconds, without so much as a cry.
Strips of mottled light filtered through the window, falling across the gray-black floor. Qi Yu’s eyes followed them and froze.
His chest tightened, a cold shiver spread up from his spine, and the hairs on his back bristled.
Blood. Small streaks of it stained the floor. Drag marks smeared over their earlier footprints, stretching all the way toward the doorway.
Instinctively, Qi Yu crouched down, moving lightly on his feet, and slipped behind the wooden table. He pressed himself into the hollow underneath.
“Creak—”
Just as he wedged himself in, the kitchen door swung open.
Through the gaps in the boards, Qi Yu saw a man step inside. The man wore black trousers, and behind him, Pei Hu lay on the floor, half his face smeared with blood. A sharp knife clattered from his limp hand.
Qi Yu could almost picture it: Pei Hu had climbed out to find the others under attack. He’d drawn his blade to fight back, maybe even tried to break free.
But the enemy was too strong or simply too ruthless. Trading blow for blow, they’d quickly put him down.
The only stroke of luck was that in the scuffle, the kitchen door had swung shut. Which meant the attacker probably hadn’t noticed Qi Yu, the straggler who’d come up last.
Footsteps shuffled against the floor. The man was cautious, checking the cellar entrance. As he bent down, Qi Yu caught sight of his profile.
He was a gaunt man with wild, matted hair and beard, his features almost impossible to make out. But the scar, a jagged, twisted line carving from the corner of his eye to his mouth took up half his face.
His arm bore another long, gruesome wound, the flesh peeled open and bleeding freely.
It had to be from his fight with Pei Hu. Yet he didn’t bother treating it at all, instead prowling the room with a candle, inspecting every corner with unsettling precision.
He knows. He knows there’s still a player hiding here.
He’s looking for me.
The thoughts flashed through Qi Yu’s mind like lightning.
He scanned the room in desperation. The table he was under was big, but flimsy and too obvious. Not far away, though, a few bamboo baskets were stacked together.
If he could slip over and hide under those, it’d be a safer bet than this table.
The man’s footsteps came again, circling the room.
Realizing he had no choice, Qi Yu gritted his teeth and darted out.
…
Bang!
The man’s very first move was to kick the table over.
Nothing underneath. Empty.
He glanced left and right, then stretched out his hand toward the bamboo baskets
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Your support helps make more chapters possible. ✦
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Enter the GameChapter 2 · Pick a roomChapter 3 · DeadChapter 4 · AtticChapter 5 · ResponsibleChapter 6 · A bamboo BasketChapter 7 · DiaryChapter 8 · Song QingChapter 9 · Sent to HospitalChapter 10 · Second CopyChapter 11 · Leaking InformationChapter 12 · Special Prop!Chapter 13 · Doctor GhostChapter 14 · Store RoomChapter 15 · Psychiatry HospitalChapter 16 · Things of PastChapter 17 · Second FloorChapter 18 · He’s adorableChapter 19 · You Like Him?Chapter 20 · Kiss meChapter 21 · Group women’s clothing PlayChapter 22 · Where’s my Skirt?Chapter 23 · Wife of Murder Doctor….Chapter 24 · Go to Third floorChapter 25 · You must find me!Chapter 26 · See you in the next dungeonChapter 27 · VideoChapter 28 · Player ForumChapter 29 · Two women vying for one manChapter 30 · The Giant WolfChapter 31 · A Kind and Benevolent FatherChapter 32 · Preparing the change clothesChapter 33 · Red Heart FruitChapter 34 · In what ways do I fall short of him?Chapter 35 · KissChapter 36 · Bald performanceChapter 37 · The Prince Has ArrivedChapter 38 · Prince Song QingChapter 39 · Should we…Chapter 40 · A Kiss of True LoveChapter 41 · BanquetChapter 42 · Snow White KingChapter 43 · KingChapter 44 · I miss you so much!Chapter 45 · LeavingChapter 46 · Wanting to See HimChapter 47 · Resource Type InstanceChapter 48 · The Banquet BeginsChapter 49 · KissChapter 50 · Full-Dive Virtual RealityChapter 51 · Everyone Is a LiarChapter 52 · MegaphoneChapter 53 · Dragon???Chapter 54 · Fire DragonChapter 55 · A powerful Fire DragonChapter 56 · Want Some Barbecue?Chapter 57 · The Characteristics of the GameChapter 58 · A little DragonChapter 59 · Searching for her sonChapter 60 · We’re Going to Tear Up the HostageChapter 61 · Mountain CollapseChapter 62 · DiscussionChapter 63 · Digging for Crystals?Chapter 64 · Making Money Selling LiquorChapter 65 · A KissChapter 66 · I’m the Best LookingChapter 67 · Ghost Ship 101Chapter 68 · Has the Competition Begun Yet?Chapter 69 · LotteryChapter 70 · First PlaceChapter 71 · The Sea Monster ArrivesChapter 72 · CooperationChapter 73 · The Man in the MaskChapter 74 · WarChapter 75 · The Players’ RevengeChapter 76 · ReturningChapter 77 · The End