A lost rose has tied the players and NPCs together.
Jiang Yan couldn't understand why, as an NPC, he still had to complete a mission. He originally planned to finish breakfast and then return to his bed to play Go on his 663 brain computer.
However, the 663 explained, “The ‘Hunter’ has lost something. Aside from himself and his loyal hounds who cannot think for themselves, everyone else including you who was not in the house last night is a suspect.”
“So why add this side story?” Jiang Yan was confused.
“Probably because the main system saw that the quest was stalled and wanted to give the players another chance,” 663 said with its eyes wide open, telling a blatant lie.
Jiang Yan: “…”
Assigning a B-level instance to a group of newbies was already beyond their capabilities, and now there’s an A-level side quest?
Jiang Yan was starting to doubt whether this group of players owed a lot of money to the main god; otherwise, why would they be treated like this?
After the “Hunter” announced the game rules, he left.
The rules were simple—starting now, everyone is a “police officer,” and everyone could also be a “thief.” Before dusk today, they must find the rose lost by the “Hunter” to clear the level as “police officers.”
The one who actually stole the “rose” from the Hunter must hide it well and absolutely cannot be found or identified as the thief before the dusk judgment.
Of course, if the players could escape this dense forest before dusk, it would still be a victory for them.
After the “Hunter” announced the rules, he vanished. The dusk judgment would not be conducted by the “Hunter,” but entrusted to the “Butcher,” who held the power of judgment.
At the long table in the kitchen, the Butcher looked at the players and NPCs sitting at the table with a long knife, much like he was watching a group of meat pigs.
The edge of the long knife was pitted, a mark left from cutting bones.
“Last night, we all stayed in the basement, and the only ones who could move around in this house were you two.” Zhou Hao immediately pointed fingers at the two real NPCs.
NPCs must maintain their personas at all times; otherwise, they would be erased by the BOSS.
However, this was not particularly difficult for Jiang Yan. After all, he had a cat at home, and he had a pretty good grasp of cat personalities.
So, Jiang Yan expressionlessly said, “Oh, then my master is a fool; he doesn’t know.”
“You—!” Zhou Hao was momentarily speechless, left only with indignation as he glared at Jiang Yan.
Ding Wanyu gave Zhou Hao a helpless glance, then said in a sinister tone, “Some of you ‘lambs’ have dangerous items on you, but the master was merciful and didn’t take them away.”
Yes, the players had items!
“The ‘Hunter’ is not an idiot; if the only ones active in the house last night were the two NPCs, he wouldn’t need to make such a big fuss.”
“I think Jiang Yan is right,” said Zhou Yun, who had been mostly silent.
This long-haired girl was young but appeared the calmest among them, aside from Zhou Hao.
Zhou Hao had a bit of the youthful bravado that made him fearless.
In comparison, Xue Dun and Wang Yu, the two older men, sat at the table trembling, feeling as if their souls had floated away. They were not as composed as the girl, Zhou Yun.
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at the girl in front of him: “We are of the same kind. I’m a sheep; you are too.”
Zhou Yun shrugged, “Sorry, you just look like one, especially your eyes.”
[Hahahahaha! I think so too!]
[This girl is something! She can still tease the NPC in this situation?]
[I feel like she’s suspicious; clearly, she was crying with the girl beside her yesterday.]
[By the way, did you all notice anything while watching the livestream last night?]
[No, we only saw Jiang Yan come down and chat with the ‘Corpse Driver’ for a bit last night.]
“Seriously, who would steal a rose from him for no reason?” Xue Dun’s voice still trembled. “If we could get out of the basement, we would’ve rushed out! Who would have the time to steal a rose?”
As soon as he said this, several players expressed their agreement.
“Let’s search!” Jiang Yan stretched lazily. “My master said that if we find the rose before dusk, we can exchange it for something from him. As for the one who stole the rose, if they can’t be found, then so be it.”
Ding Wanyu nodded silently. When the “Hunter” announced the game rules, he mentioned that the thief must hide the rose. Since that’s the case, the rose doesn’t necessarily have to be hidden on the thief.
He raised his eyes to look at everyone at the table. As long as he ensured that no one had the rose on them, it must be hidden somewhere in the room.
However, since the players had items, even if they searched them, it wouldn’t guarantee that the rose wasn’t on them.
“Is there anyone who wants to admit to stealing the rose?” Jiang Yan asked. “If you confess voluntarily, I can plead with my master to let you live three more days.”
“Who would be stupid enough to do that?” Zhou Hao retorted without holding back.
At that moment, Ding Wanyu stood up. He wore a robe similar to a bishop’s, and with a wave of his long sleeves, the entire room became cold and eerie.
Jiang Yan hadn't processed what was happening when a person suddenly hung down from the ceiling. Their long black hair dangled, and the decayed, mottled face was less than a centimeter away from his own, allowing him to distinctly smell the putrid stench emanating from the figure.
"Ahhh—!"
"Mom!! A ghost!!"
"Oh no!!! Don't eat me..."
The players began to scream. Not just Jiang Yan; every person in front of them had a body hanging nearby. They all froze, their bodies rigid, feet dangling from the ceiling, eyes wide in terror, staring fixedly at the figure before them.
Jiang Yan was momentarily too scared to speak, and his eyes turned red in an instant.
Ding Wanyu casually spoke up, "For the sake of fairness, I need to ensure none of you are carrying my master's roses, so I will need to search you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the bodies hanging before the group reached out their hands toward them.
"Don't, don't come over!!"
"Only you and that Jiang Yan need to be searched here, okay?!" Zhou Hao shouted, feeling a body draped over his shoulder, too afraid to move, fixating on Ding Wanyu, who was not far away.
Ding Wanyu glanced at the warm and delicate horn-button coat Jiang Yan was wearing, noting how the collar of the white shirt inside was sweetly tied in a bow, making him look like a gift.
In comparison, his own robe was simpler, but still ornate, and it was clear that only he and Jiang Yan had anything to hide compared to the players wearing tattered shirts.
Ding Wanyu turned to Jiang Yan, who was confronting the corpse before him with red-rimmed eyes.
"Get this thing away! I’ll take it off myself!" Jiang Yan said.
Ding Wanyu snapped his fingers, and the corpses hanging from the ceiling crawled back up. They resumed their spider-like positions on the ceiling, their lifeless eyes fixed on the people at the long table, waiting for their master's orders.
Jiang Yan took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts after seeing you so calm in the specimen room yesterday," 663 remarked in surprise.
He had gone through two dungeons with Jiang Yan and found that Jiang Yan was always lazy, even his emotions seemed lethargic.
Such a person, if placed tens of thousands of years ago when humanity was still battling on the grasslands, would definitely have been naturally selected out!
And wasn't this game also a wild "grassland"?
Whether players, systems, or real NPCs, everyone was a predator, and everyone was also prey.
Players on the game forum were right; it wasn't easy for Jiang Yan to survive in the game until now.
"I'm afraid of ghosts, but I'm not afraid of the dead," Jiang Yan replied.
663 was puzzled; what kind of logic was that?
Jiang Yan took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart again: "I have a specimen room like that at home. My ex-husband had one too, and there's even a wax figure with just a human head hanging in my living room."
663 was even more confused and shocked: "Isn't killing illegal for humans?!"
"Of course, they're not real people," Jiang Yan replied calmly. "Just some realistic wax figures. It’s a form of art; many museums and art exhibits feature his works."
"I finally understand why you divorced your husband," 663 said.
"Mm," Jiang Yan responded nonchalantly, as he didn't like to comment too much on his previous marriage.
"It's better to divorce someone with antisocial personality disorder sooner rather than later," 663 suggested.
Jiang Yan hadn't intended to get into a debate with 663 on this issue, but hearing him say that, he couldn't help but retort, "He doesn't have antisocial personality disorder; he's a very gentle person."
Jiang Yan didn't dwell on the topic further with 663. He stood up and asked Ding Wanyu, "Can I take it off myself?"
"To be honest, if the master's rose is a flower, it certainly wouldn't be crushed and placed on us," Jiang Yan said, untying the bow around his neck.
Ding Wanyu looked at him coldly: "I know that; I was just considering whether anyone had anything related to the rose on them."
With that, he also began to unfasten his robe. Halfway through, the "Hunter" entered the kitchen doorway, holding a basket of roasted chestnuts.
Upon entering, the "Hunter" saw Jiang Yan and Ding Wanyu facing each other, taking off their clothes...
"......"
The room fell silent for a moment.
Even the spider-like figures on the ceiling froze, their eyes almost falling out as they focused intently on their master.
Ding Wanyu felt a chill down his neck, as if his head might separate from his body at any moment.
He stiffly turned around, maintaining his persona, and greeted the "Hunter": "Hello, my master."
The "Hunter" had green, sparkling eyes that held a smile but his voice was chillingly cold: "What are you two doing?"
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