The headless corpse of player Qiu Yang lay stiffly in the chair, with his exploded brain tissue—red and white—splattered everywhere. A significant amount of brain matter had even landed in the food of the nearby players.
The new player sitting next to Qiu Yang was so terrified by the sudden change that his eyes rolled back, and he gasped heavily, producing guttural “gah—gah” sounds, unable to even scream.
His companion quickly supported him, pressing his philtrum to prevent him from fainting.
It wasn’t fair to blame the new player for being shaken. All living beings on Earth instinctively fear the sight of a fellow being’s corpse, a natural response to avoid potential danger.
Even the seasoned players, who were supposed to be tougher, couldn’t help but furrow their brows and draw sharp breaths in response to the sudden sight of a human body exploding, with flesh and blood flying everywhere.
But Jiang Yan remained composed, standing up and addressing Ding Wanyu and Cang Rou, the medical staff stationed nearby:
“Should this be cleaned up?”
Ding Wanyu replied, “We haven’t received any orders to clean it up. Please continue eating.”
“Has he always been this fearless?” Tao Shi asked Li Yun in surprise, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yan.
Tao Shi found Jiang Yan’s calmness even more unnerving than the head explosion.
“I’ve said it before, haven’t I? He doesn’t seem to have many inner emotions,” Li Yun replied. He glanced at Jiang Yan’s blood-splattered plate. The chemical disinfectant taste in his own mouth intensified, and he forcibly suppressed the urge to gag before continuing.
Jiang Yan sat back down in his seat, his long eyelashes trembling slightly as he glanced at the headless corpse beside him.
At that moment, the man sitting near Jiang Yan, with chestnut-colored, slightly curly hair, suddenly shouted loudly:
“He’s been devoured! Devoured by his own kind!”
The sudden outburst startled Jiang Yan.
663 System Panel:
System NPC: Jeff Hunter, Jewish Merchant.
Identity: Psychiatric Patient in the Hospital.
The dim lights enveloped the cafeteria. The green-and-white walls, now weathered and peeling, gave the space a dilapidated and grim look. The contrast between the rundown cafeteria and the grand, cathedral-like design of the hospital’s main building was stark.
Jeff Hunter stood up, his body trembling. The loose, striped blue-and-white hospital gown hung off him like an oversized sheet, making him resemble a worn-out scarecrow—tall and skeletal.
With his sharp, prominent cheekbones and hollowed eyes, he pointed a trembling finger at the others and, in a shrill and shaky voice, shouted:
“You… all of you… will face judgment! Judgment!”
[Ding! Before sunset, please locate all the rabbits.]
As Jeff Hunter's sharp voice faded, an eerie, siren-like sound echoed from the pitch-black cafeteria entrance.
Moments later, the darkness outside the door seemed to transform into a viscous liquid, bubbling ominously.
Nobody wanted to discover what that darkness truly was, but it was clear that if they didn’t figure something out by the end of breakfast, they might not be able to leave at all.
Jiang Yan stood up once again and said, “I’m just here for breakfast. My husband is still waiting for me in the room. You all take your time finding the culprit—I’m heading back.”
To him, dealing with this mess was far less appealing than sticking close to his slightly alien-like spouse and enjoying some cozy bonding time.
Seeing this, 663 panicked:
“Hey! Your performance score! Don’t you care about your performance score?!”
“My current score won’t kill me,” Jiang Yan replied without hesitation.
“But your score isn’t enough to exchange for your obsession!” 663 pleaded earnestly.
Jiang Yan paused, as if deep in thought, then arched a brow and asked, “Then tell me—what exactly is my obsession?”
663: “.....”
Even Jiang Yan himself had no idea what his obsession was. How could he exchange points for it?
In fact, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but wonder if he’d somehow offended the main system in his previous life, prompting it to torment him like this now.
Just as Jiang Yan moved to leave, Jeff Hunter’s dry, branch-like hand landed heavily on his shoulder.
All eyes in the room turned toward them.
With a voice that was both a cry and a laugh, Jeff Hunter said to Jiang Yan:
“You can’t leave, madam. You’re also a suspect in this murder.”
Jiang Yan’s clear, blue eyes gleamed as he retorted with perfect logic:
“My husband is the heir to this hospital. Are you suggesting that the spouse of the hospital’s heir would kill one of its patients?”
[Commentary from the Forum:]
[Wow! Quick thinking on Yan Yan’s part!]
[It feels like Yan Yan is improving in this dungeon.]
[Improving? Do you mean not clinging to the boss and pretending to be a kitten?]
[The jealousy here is way too obvious.]
"Of course, I believe you, dear Madam," Jeff Hunter said, his sunken eyes staring fixedly at Jiang Yan. "But are you certain you want to choose to leave now?"
Jiang Yan glanced toward the cafeteria door. The boiling darkness outside seemed capable of swallowing everything.
Silently, Jiang Yan sat back down in his seat and calmly replied, "I choose to wait here for my husband to come and pick me up."
"I'm glad you made the right choice. And as a gentle reminder, Madam, you are also a patient," Jeff Hunter said, releasing the hand he had placed on Jiang Yan's shoulder.
With that, he twisted his skeletal limbs, performing a comical dance-like motion. "Dear patients, let the trial begin!"
The skin on Qiu Yang’s corpse began to turn a purplish-blue hue, and the brain matter splattered around oxidized, losing the vividness it had just moments ago.
Jeff Hunter walked over to Qiu Yang's body, taking a white flower from his coat to express his condolences.
It might have been a respectful gesture if he hadn’t stabbed the flower's stem into the jagged, bloody stump of Qiu Yang's neck.
"It’s a shame we’ve lost such a precious friend," Jeff Hunter said, "but we must find the one who killed the fifth rabbit. Those of you who are other rabbits hiding at this table, you may step forward voluntarily."
This table originally seated 14 players and Jeff Hunter, the system’s NPC, making 15 individuals in total.
Before breakfast, one player died of illness, leaving 14 participants. Jeff Hunter had taken the dead player’s seat, bringing the number back up to 15.
Excluding Jeff Hunter, there were 14 real participants at the table.
Now, with the death of Qiu Yang, there were 13 remaining participants.
Based on the nursery rhyme, there should be 10 rabbits in total.
One—the fifth rabbit—was already dead, leaving 9 rabbits remaining.
Among these participants, 4 had nothing to do with this incident.
"Clichéd plot," Jiang Yan muttered disdainfully.
"Are you questioning the quality of an S-class dungeon’s storyline?" 663 asked, incredulous.
"I’m questioning the main system’s taste," Jiang Yan replied. "First sheep, now a nursery rhyme about rabbits. It’s oddly… childlike."
663: "..."
At that moment, Jiang Yan noticed a boy in the corner raising his hand. His delicate face was partially hidden beneath layers of bandages, but his beauty remained unmistakable.
"Me! I’m the third rabbit!" the boy declared.
663 Data Panel:
Player: Cao Youfeng, Member of Dawn Guild
Item: Number Concealment Card + Medical Bandages
663 explained, "Cao Youfeng is a core member of the Dawn Guild and currently ranks 12th on the overall player leaderboard in the game, with an 8th rank in mental strength."
Then, a man sitting beside him, with chestnut brown hair and a gentle, friendly appearance, began clapping his hands. "I’m the fourth rabbit!"
663 Data Panel:
Player: Jiang Xiu, Member of Valen Church
Item: Silver Feather String + Church Cross
663 continued, "Jiang Xiu is the third-in-command at Valen Church and currently ranks 8th on the overall player leaderboard, 5th in mental strength. His abilities are generally stronger than Cao Youfeng’s."
"Oh! A high-level group!" Jiang Yan exclaimed.
"So pay attention! This is an S-class dungeon!" 663 said, exasperated.
Next, 663 directed Jiang Yan’s attention towards Tao Shi. "See that guy with blue hair? Don’t be fooled by his young age. He’s the most powerful player in this dungeon. His overall rank is 5th, and his mental strength ranks 3rd."
As he spoke, 663 pulled up Tao Shi’s data panel:
Player: Tao Shi, Vice President of Dawn Guild
Item: Adam Ring + Divine Staff
Jiang Yan was a bit surprised. "He looks like a minor."
663 replied, "Exactly! This world teaches us not to judge by appearances. You look like a minor too. Who would know you’ve been divorced?"
Jiang Yan was about to say something when he noticed someone sitting beside Tao Shi—Li Yun. He froze for a moment.
He recalled the message Li Yun had sent him before entering the game. If his guess was correct, Li Yun must have just entered the game recently.
It was hard to say whether to feel sympathy for him, having been thrust into an S-class dungeon right after joining the game.
Li Yun caught Jiang Yan’s gaze and smiled gently, flashing a perfect, warm smile.
"He recognized you?" Tao Shi asked.
Li Yun smiled lightly, "Yes."
"Seems like you two have some history," Tao Shi remarked, clearly curious.
"I don’t feel much else for him," Li Yun’s expression shifted, becoming slightly haughty.
The implication was clear: Jiang Yan had likely not moved on from past feelings for him.
"Well, you’re lucky," Tao Shi said, a bit awkwardly. "You must have noticed the special nature of the role Jiang Yan got in this dungeon. Maybe you can ask him for help."
Li Yun pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, replying calmly, "I’m not at the point where I need Jiang Yan’s help."
Having known Jiang Yan for half a year, Li Yun understood that the other was nothing more than a pretty waste.
Even if Jiang Yan did have a bit of luck, he was still just a pretty, lucky, useless person.
Before entering the game, Li Yun had conducted thorough research on it. In this game, someone like Jiang Yan, a beautiful waste, would definitely not survive.
Earlier, Jiang Yan had just been lucky in some lower-tier dungeons.
But now, in this S-class dungeon, luck was the least valuable thing.
Before Tao Shi could respond, he raised his hand. "I’m the sixth rabbit!"
One by one, other players began to raise their hands, revealing their hidden identities.
At the same time, the game’s forums exploded with activity:
[Wow! All the big shots got their hidden identities?]
[At first, I thought this would be a rule-breaker type of dungeon. How did it become this bloodthirsty on the first day?]
[What kind of divine battle is this! So, the killer is one of the big shots?]
[Not just the killer, but the BOSS too! Don’t forget the side quest to find the BOSS.]
[Damn! High-level dungeons are really something!]
As the eighth rabbit revealed itself, there was still one left, but no one else stepped forward.
Jeff Hunt’s hollow, dead-eyed gaze swept across the group like a blade. "The last rabbit can reveal themselves. We only need to narrow down the list of suspects. If you’re not the killer, there’s no need to hide your identity."
Tap... Tap... Tap...
The blood from Qiu Yang’s severed neck slowed down, dripping less and less. The fresh blood, exposed to the air, began to emit a metallic, iron-rust smell.
"Last rabbit, do we need to find you?" Jeff Hunt's voice dropped, sounding like a low growl just before a strike.
It wasn’t clear who looked at Jiang Yan first, but everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward him.
After all, Jiang Yan's identity at the table was the most special. Everyone else was a player, but only he sat in a player’s seat as a real NPC.
In the end, Jeff Hunt stiffly turned his head, his hollow gaze landing on Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan looked utterly confused: "What do you want me to do? I’m just a poor housewife with tuberculosis and schizophrenia."