【A wealthy family brings everyone to a mountain castle to escape the summer heat, but after moving in, strange things begin happening one after another.
The miserable sound of crying that occasionally rings out at night, the red ghostly figure that flashes past the corridor, the red roses that mysteriously appear on the bedside table… These bizarre phenomena leave the wealthy family terrified and uneasy.
They want to leave the castle, but suddenly a thick fog descends, sealing off the mountain.
At the same time, several travelers who are likewise trapped by the fog knock on the castle’s door…】
Knock, knock—
After a while, the heavy castle doors silently opened, and a middle-aged man in a crisp tailcoat appeared in the doorway. He had sharply defined features, a tall and slender build, and wore snow-white gloves. His deep blue eyes were hidden behind a monocle.
The man lowered his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the players who had knocked before settling on the three people behind them. His expression was calm and detached.
After they explained the situation, the four players entered the castle. Led by the butler, they met the castle’s master, who was having dinner.
The male player who had drawn the Reporter identity card keenly noticed that all four people at the dining table looked somewhat exhausted. There were faint dark circles beneath their eyes, as though they had barely gotten any rest. It matched the situation described in the dungeon’s background information.
The master of the house sat at the head of the table. His face was deathly pale, and his speech was punctuated by breathless coughs, making him look as though he were plagued by illness.
“Who knows when this fog will clear, cough, cough—so you can stay here for now, cough—.” The master turned toward the butler. “Levi, arrange it for them.”
The butler nodded and invited the four players to take their seats. He was about to go to the kitchen to arrange their meals when the beautiful woman on the left side of the table called him back. Her voice was soft and alluring. “Levi, while you’re at it, go upstairs and call Xiaowei down. Tell her to come eat something.”
The two young men on the right side of the table seemed to be twins. They were similarly handsome, but their temperaments were completely different.
One of the quieter-looking young men also spoke. “Try to persuade her. She barely ate anything this morning.”
The butler acknowledged him, bowed, and left.
Xiaowei? The four players immediately picked up on the name. One of them cautiously asked, “Is Xiaowei Madam’s daughter?”
A strange emotion flashed across the beautiful woman’s face before she smiled again. “Xiaowei is my stepdaughter.” She sighed. “That child has been in poor health since she was little and often gets sick.”
The other twin spoke up. His tone sounded regretful, but his face carried a malicious smile. “That’s right. Not only is she weak and sickly, she’s also disabled.”
The quieter young man glanced at him indifferently, his expression revealing nothing.
The Reporter carefully responded, “That’s truly unfortunate.”
The master coughed once and gave the young man who had spoken a mild glare. After seeing him rein in his smile, the master spoke in a tone filled with concern. “Ah, the child’s mother passed away when she was very young, so she’s somewhat introverted.”
The four players exchanged glances, sensing the strange atmosphere within this family.
A moment later, a voice came from the doorway. It was not loud and carried a faint weariness. “Daddy, I’m here.”
The four players turned to look.
The girl had thick, curly red hair, while her jewel-like sky-blue eyes still reflected a beautiful luster despite the dim lighting. Her delicate features were refined and pretty, and her pale face carried a hint of sickliness. Her figure was slender.
The girl sat in a wheelchair with a light-blue blanket covering her legs. Her expression also carried a trace of fatigue.
Those sky-blue eyes swept over the four players, and a faint look of confusion appeared on her face.
The Reporter’s gaze involuntarily lingered on the girl’s face for several seconds. Everyone in this family had remarkably detailed features, but this girl was especially beautiful.
After introductions were exchanged, the four players learned that the girl’s full name was Avril Montford, while her Chinese name was Jiang Wei.
However, when Avril introduced herself, she only mentioned the former name. The master of the house coughed twice and added the latter.
Judging by her appearance and name, the girl was probably of mixed heritage and seemed to have taken her mother’s surname.
The butler wheeled Avril over to the dining table. At the same time, several servants brought dinner for the four players.
As the master had said, Avril was introverted and remained completely silent throughout the meal. Only the twins and the beautiful woman occasionally exchanged a few words with the players.
The female player who had drawn the Lawyer identity card couldn’t help glancing toward Avril, feeling a trace of pity. She possessed the same beauty and name as the Little Mermaid, yet she was also unable to walk normally.
After dinner, the butler led the four players to their rooms.
As they passed the staircase, all four players couldn’t help stopping to look up at the enormous painting hanging on the wall.
The oil painting appeared to depict a family of three. A handsome, black-haired, black-eyed man and a beautiful, red-haired, blue-eyed woman sat nestled together on a sofa, with a cute red-haired, blue-eyed girl sitting between them. The girl held both their hands and wore a radiant smile. They looked like an incredibly happy family.
The Reporter couldn’t help asking, “This is…?”
The butler replied, “This is a portrait of the master and Madam Enigess.” He also looked up at the painting. “The one in the middle is Miss Avril.”
Only after looking at the beautiful woman in the painting did the four players realize that Avril hadn’t simply won the genetic lottery. She had inherited her beauty from her mother.
The Reporter inwardly marveled. He had already remarried, yet he still had a portrait of his deceased wife hanging here?
The butler had no intention of saying more and turned around to continue upstairs.
The players followed, but the Lawyer couldn’t help letting her gaze linger on the girl’s smiling face. Was she like this now because her biological mother had died?
The butler led the players to the third floor and told them which rooms were available, leaving them to choose for themselves.
A dull sound rang out. The Reporter raised his head and saw a servant pushing Avril into the corridor ahead.
Seeing them, Avril quietly greeted them before falling silent again. The servant pushed her into one of the rooms on the third floor.
Just as they were about to settle into their rooms, the butler seemed to remember something and reminded them, “The castle hasn’t been very peaceful lately. There may be some strange noises in the corridors at night. It would be best if none of you went outside at night.”
The player who had drawn the Doctor identity card couldn’t help shivering when he heard this. He had been extremely afraid of ghosts and other supernatural things since childhood. The background description of this dungeon was already full of ominous hints, and the butler’s warning made him even more nervous.
The Reporter called out to the departing butler and asked, “Could you tell us more specifically?” He scratched his head. “I’m a reporter by profession, so I’m rather curious.”
The butler hesitated briefly before saying a little more.
It was more or less the same information they had already obtained from the dungeon’s background. This family had recently come to the castle to escape the summer heat, but after arriving, they encountered many strange incidents. They had originally planned to leave as soon as possible, but the thick fog prevented them from doing so.
The Reporter nodded and thanked him. It seemed that before the mission officially began, the game wouldn’t allow the players to obtain any additional information.
After the butler left, the players chose their rooms and entered separately.
Avril’s room.
“I really want to eat somethinggg—!”
Unlike her introverted and frail appearance at dinner, the red-haired, blue-eyed girl was now full of energy, rolling back and forth across the bed.
A round, fluffy white ball of light floated in the air, with a long, thin tail trailing behind it.
The fluffy ball opened its beady black eyes and looked worriedly at the girl on the bed. “Miss Gu Bai, do you want me to go downstairs and see if there’s anything to eat in the kitchen?”
“Forget it. It’s not that kind of food I want.” Gu Bai stopped rolling and lay on the bed, letting out a heavy sigh. Then she sat up and limped over to the vanity mirror. “Xiao Ba, turn up the light. I’ll do my makeup first and prepare for tonight’s operation.”
That’s right. The Avril that Gu Bai was playing wasn’t completely unable to walk. She was merely slightly lame and couldn’t walk for long periods.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ba flew above her head and tried its best to glow. Its fluffy body emitted a gentle white light, immediately brightening the vanity table.
Gu Bai sat in front of the vanity mirror and stared at her reflection, clicking her tongue in amazement. “It’s really strange seeing my own face turned into this.”
The dungeon used her own face, but her hair and eye colors had been changed, and her features had been made more youthful, giving her the appearance she had at seventeen or eighteen.
After marveling for a moment, Gu Bai began applying her makeup. She coated her face and neck with an excessive amount of white powder, then painted the marks of lividity onto her exposed skin.
Xiao Ba asked curiously, “Miss Gu Bai, you seem very good at doing makeup.”
Gu Bai continued working without stopping. “Just treat your own face like a canvas.” At this, she remembered the manuscript she hadn’t finished before suddenly dying, and sorrow welled up inside her. “After I come back to life, I’ll never stay up late rushing a deadline again.”
Gu Bai was a horror comic artist who was accustomed to staying up late to finish her manuscripts before deadlines. One day, however, she suddenly lost consciousness while working on a manuscript.
When she woke up again, System 888 informed her that she had been selected to participate in a horror mystery-solving game. However, because she had suddenly died the very next second after being selected, she could no longer become a normal player.
Gu Bai: “…”
Although she had always known she was unlucky, being unlucky to this extent was still too much for her to handle.
System 888: “Although Miss Gu Bai, you cannot become a player, we can open the NPC channel for you. By playing dungeon NPCs and earning points, you can exchange enough points for a Resurrection Ticket. Would you like to accept?”
Gu Bai, who hadn’t lived long enough yet, agreed without hesitation.
This was Gu Bai’s first dungeon, 【Castle of Terror】, and she had entered several days before the players. During those days, she had been racking her brain to figure out how to complete her mission while also struggling to adapt to the life of the frail young lady she was playing.
Because Avril was in poor health, her daily diet had been arranged to be extremely light. After several days, Gu Bai’s longing for heavily seasoned foods such as fried chicken and mala hot pot had reached its peak, which was why she had let out that desperate cry.
She put down the makeup brush, then put on the wig and colored contact lenses. Looking at the sinister and terrifying face in the mirror, Gu Bai nodded in satisfaction.
Everything was ready. She sat in front of the vanity table and carefully recalled the route several times.
When she felt the time was right, Gu Bai stood up and limped to the dressing room, where she changed into the red dress she had prepared.
She pushed aside another row of clothes and pressed a mechanism on the wall.
The wall opened, revealing a deep, dark passage.
Gu Bai stepped inside.