In the dim and gloomy room, Jian Hou looked at the handsome silver-haired man in front of him and handed him a rose. "He gave this to me."
Yu Jia took the rose from his hand. The petals, slightly curled like those of a dried orange blossom, were a pink-brown color, emitting a decadent fragrance.
He recognized this rose. It was the S-class item, [Lost Rose], that Jiang Yan had suddenly produced in the last instance.
According to the guild's investigation, the functionality of this item was unclear, but it was currently classified as a [binding-type offensive item].
The origins of the item were unknown; they hadn't been able to trace where it came from, nor did they know if Jiang Yan had found it in the Sheep’s Forest instance or if it had been picked up in some other instance and kept unused.
However, it was absurd that an F-class NPC like him could find such an S-class item.
An F-class real NPC, and he gets to have this kind of item?
Yu Jia felt the residual mental power on the rose and asked, “What does this mean?”
Jian Hou replied, “He said that as long as I have this rose, he can always know my location.”
Yu Jia smiled slightly. “It seems you two have a really good relationship. He really cares about you.”
Is this a ‘bamboo rat’ relationship? He looked at the man with slightly curled hair in front of him, his eyes filled with mockery. Unfortunately, compared to desire, this little bit of affection was too insignificant.
“He also said…” Jian Hou hesitated.
Yu Jia raised his eyes and asked, “What else did he say?”
Jian Hou hesitated and then said, “He said that if I hold this rose and get closer to him, we can leave the instance for five minutes.”
Yu Jia raised an eyebrow. “Leave the instance for five minutes? What does that mean?”
“I don’t understand either.” Jian Hou was puzzled. “He said that real NPCs need to maintain their personas in the instance at all times, but his item can allow us to leave the instance for five minutes.”
This is impossible!
Yu Jia's pupils suddenly contracted in shock.
Real NPCs leaving the instance and breaking their personas for five minutes?! How is that possible?! How could the main system release an item that contradicts its own game rules?
Even if Jiang Yan were truly the ‘illegitimate child’ of the main god, this kind of thing absolutely shouldn’t happen!
At this moment, the game forum exploded due to Jian Hou’s statement:
[What did he say? The item can help real NPCs leave the instance for five minutes? Is this some kind of joke?]
[Did Jiang Yan trick him? How could this be possible? Isn’t the Lost Rose an offensive item?]
[Though… it is Jiang Yan…]
[It’s Jiang Yan! Even if it’s the main god, this can’t happen!]
[Forget about the main god, even if the Creator god came, this kind of thing still couldn’t happen.]
[Ha ha ha ha! Looks like Teacher Jian got fooled by his bamboo rat friend.]
[Jiang Yan is going bad, making up such nonsense!]
Yu Jia turned the dried rose in his hand, examining it several times but finding nothing unusual.
“It’s just an ordinary rose. He’s probably just playing with you.” Yu Jia took a drag on his cigarette and exhaled a ring of smoke.
“But he said it so confidently.” Jian Hou rebutted with reasoning, “When he told me about this today, didn’t that already break his persona? But within those five minutes, he didn’t suffer any punishment.”
Yu Jia took the opportunity to brainwash him. “He’s lying to you. It’s obvious he doesn’t trust you as much as you think.”
“But…”
“No buts.” Yu Jia interrupted. “Now you’re a member of the [Puppet Workshop] guild. The first rule of the guild is—unconditionally obey orders.”
The rules of [Puppet Workshop]: No need to question, no need to argue, no need to form connections, just execute the orders you receive. This is called "doing your job."
He smiled at the confused man in front of him and comforted, “Your task now is to stay by Jiang Yan’s side and report his every move.”
[It seems like the Puppet Workshop is very serious about Jiang Yan.]
[Maybe it’s because there are a lot of real NPCs in the guild, so they’re especially eager to recruit Jiang Yan?]
[Sigh… I feel like something’s not right.]
Suddenly, Yu Jia’s face darkened.
[Of course! It’s dark, so if the lights aren’t on, it’s bound to be gloomy!]
However, the next words from Yu Jia stunned the players on the game forum!
He extinguished his cigarette and slowly said, “Remember our mission in this instance—kill Jiang Yan.”
[What?!!!!]
[Did I hear that wrong? Isn’t the Puppet Workshop always sending Jiang Yan invitation emails?]
[Oh… thinking about it, it makes sense. Jiang Yan is too special. He’s a real NPC, and his momentum has been so strong lately. The higher-ups of Puppet Workshop are probably afraid he’ll affect their position.]
[Just call him ‘Film Emperor’ directly, right? Didn’t several real NPCs who were progressing quickly get ordered to be taken out by him?]
[Jiang Yan obviously has no ambition! He wouldn’t pose a threat to them! Sigh…]
[Is this Yu Jia really here to “hunt” him? This is too exaggerated! Jiang Yan is still only a C-class NPC!]
[It’s over! Jiang Yan is really done for! He only managed to win in the last instance because he was lucky.]
One instance was where the big shots just wanted to test his bottom line, and no one took him seriously, which is why he was lucky to win. This time… I don’t think so.
[What does this mean for Jian Hou? Isn’t he Jiang Yan’s childhood friend?]
[He probably wants to hug the Puppet Workshop thigh! Don’t even mention childhood friends; there are plenty of siblings, couples, and friends in the game who end up turning against each other]
[It’s over, it’s over! Even if Jiang Yan has an S-class item, he’s just a C-class NPC!]
Yu Jia looked at the confused and torn young man in front of him and comforted him, “You’ll get used to it. You’ll understand how right your choice was.”
Jian Hou closed his eyes with a heartless expression. Then, he looked at the flower in Yu Jia’s hand and said, “But… if Jiang Yan really said that, he could…”
“This is absolutely impossible.”
“But…”
“No buts.” Yu Jia looked at the rose in his hand, a dismissive smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “If he really could leave the instance for five minutes as a real NPC, I’ll call him ‘Dad’ in the public chat, and burn paper for him every day after he dies.”
With that, he casually threw the rose back to Jian Hou.
No one noticed that after Jian Hou put the rose back in his pocket, the pink-brown petals briefly shimmered with golden light.
Looking at the confident and proud silver-haired man in front of him, Jian Hou let out a subtle sigh.
—
At this moment, Jiang Yan was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping soundly. He had exerted so much effort today, thanks to "Yu Xiu" and he hadn't rested well the previous night. Now, he was utterly exhausted.
However, while Jiang Yan slept peacefully, players and NPCs on the game forum were frantic:
[Wake up!!! Your childhood friend betrayed you, Yan Yan!!!]
[This instance is done for! It’s really done for! Hurry up and figure out what to do!]
[How can you sleep through this?! How are you sleeping at a time like this?!]
[Watching Jiang Yan sleep so soundly makes me feel worse; I may never see him like this again! Wuwu...]
[Sigh... Let him sleep for a while longer, though. He might not get many good sleeps from now on.]
[No! I believe in miracles! What if? After all, he’s Jiang Yan!]
[Give it up! Jiang Yan clearly trusts his childhood friend so much, and if he hasn’t realized that Jian Hou has betrayed him, even if he’s "Film Emperor", it won’t help.]
As Jiang Yan slept, a golden light suddenly streaked across his face and vanished near his temple.
Half-dazed, he murmured, “What time is it?”
In the next moment, he was pulled into a familiar yet chilling embrace. “Yu Xiu’s” hoarse voice sounded in his ear, “It’s exactly twelve o’clock. Go back to sleep.”
The coldness from the embrace made Jiang Yan instinctively press his hands against the person’s chest. With his eyes closed, he mumbled, “So cold…”
The person holding him chuckled softly, but there was no vibration in his chest.
With a single motion, he pulled Jiang Yan closer and pressed him against his chest, which had lost its warmth and heartbeat, forceful yet gentle.
Jiang Yan furrowed his brow in dissatisfaction. “Why are you so cold?”
Before he could finish, Jiang Yan groggily opened his eyes. What he saw made his blood run cold—on the face of his deceased husband, there was a strange pattern embroidered with golden thread, and his eerie green eyes curved into a sinister smile.
“Because… I’m dead.”
Dong--!
Suddenly, a loud gong rang out from the street, startling Jiang Yan and causing his sleepiness to vanish in an instant.
“What’s happening?” He glanced unbothered at the decaying body of the man in his arms, trying to peel away the bed curtains.
Yu Xiu flipped over, pressing him back down with a warning, “Shh—! She’s coming.”
“Coming?” Jiang Yan was confused.
Yu Xiu’s breath was warm against Jiang Yan's snow-white neck, but his gaze darkened as he stared at the pale skin. He desperately suppressed the hunger rising in his eyes and replied, “The Red Ghost Lady”
Dong--!
Another gong sounded.
The entire town fell into an eerie silence, not even the sound of insects could be heard. The stillness was so suffocating that it felt like one couldn’t breathe.
Jiang Yan lay beneath Yu Xiu, his deceased husband’s body cold, and aside from their breathing, there was only silence.
Dong--!
With the third strike of the gong, Jiang Yan heard strange "scraping" sounds coming from the street, like something or someone was dragging something across the ground, or as though something was crawling.
---
Jiang Yan instinctively tightened his grip on Yu Xiu’s shirt, holding his breath.
He could hear a long, mournful cry echoing through the air: “Ni–a…”
Accompanied by the dragging sound, the voice seemed to penetrate the walls, echoing as if it were right next to them. It sounded like a woman, but also like a night creature, plaintive and weeping, filled with discontent, a longing call, and a dragging, tortured wail:
“Ni–a...!”