Chapter 3

The game was simply crudely called a supernatural game.

Monkey said it simply, there are gold coins after leaving this game and various kinds of props rewarded. Gold coins could still be exchanged for money in the real world. The exchange rate made people very happy. Before he finished speaking, the cranky male and the weakly sobbing woman became lively.

Whether it was ‘go home in advance’ or ‘gold coins exchange’, it seemed like the veterans were suspending a carrot in front of them.

Wang Xiaoxiao was originally guarded against the veterans but she started to accept the veterans’ arrangements.

Not caring about how generous the rewards were, it was on the premise that they went out with their lives. Chen Caixing thought internally but didn’t retort on the surface.

Out of the four veterans, Jin ge and Monkey appeared the most. The other two, surnamed Zhao and surnamed Wang stood behind.

“……The supernatural game generally has traces to follow and there’s a murder story behind it. If people don’t die then where will there be ghosts? Haven’t you played deciphering games before? We already know from before that the boss of the wax museum is called Mr. House. You can find other clues on the basis of that point. Search the entire house properly. You have to search in detail.” Monkey’s words hinted at something.

Chen Caixing heard the suggestion and asked directly, “The third floor also has to be searched?”

Monkey: “Best to go up and search.”

“But yesterday, the NPC said not to go to the third floor. Those who didn’t listen and went out after midnight already died.” Wang Xiaoxiao directed a questioning look at Monkey.

Monkey played dumb and said, “There is truth and lies in the words of the NPC. You can’t completely believe it. The clues are likely to be on the third floor.”

The second floor still had the corpses which died from a tragic death. Nobody forgot about how those two had died——not listening to the NPC’s words and going out after midnight. The enthusiastic atmosphere from the suspended carrot given by the veterans, cooled down at once. The newcomers found their rationality. The cranky male immediately scolded, “I don’t care if you’re whatever veterans, wanting to harm laozi1, laozi will be the first to kill you.”

Monkey looked towards Jin ge.

“Brat, I won’t tell you the clues for this round, not a bit. If it wasn’t for us leading the way, I’ll wait for your corpse.” Jin ge ignored the cranky male, looked towards Chen Caixing and threatened with a heavy expression.

Chen Caixing: ?

“See, Jin ge is angry. You newcomers are also not too obedient. Without us to point the way, you will all die sooner or later. Those who believe us, come over. Those who don’t believe us, suit yourself and lose this opportunity. I tell you, there’s only this one chance. If you choose wrongly. Don’t think about us saving you.” Monkey heaved a sigh when he finished with those resolute words. He said with a ‘It’s all for your own good’ expression, “If you don’t want to go to the third floor, we also won’t force you. There’s no need to quarrel. If you murder a companion in the game, you will be imposed with a fine, money and props.”

The cranky male and his female companion were the first to raise their hands and declare their stand, “We believe you.”

“I, I believe you too.” Zhao Ru said in a soft voice.

Even the cranky male who threw a tantrum, nodded his head to join the group of veterans.

“Xiaoxiao, are you not coming over?” Zhao Ru looked towards Wang Xiaoxiao, persuaded in a soft voice, “There’s a lot of people here, Jin ge and the others also said they wouldn’t coerce us. We can find the clues to return home earlier.”

‘Return home earlier’ persuaded Wang Xiaoxiao. Even though Wang Xiaoxiao felt that these veterans had bad intentions. In this kind of world, full of ghosts and monsters, the place with more people had a sense of security.

“I’m sorry.” Wang Xiaoxiao said softly.

Chen Caixing nodded his head to express he understood.

Monkey laughed, “There’s still a primary school student here, little brother do you want to——“

“I will be together with my gege.” Perhaps, his words were not scary enough, Yuan Jiuwan hugged Chen Caixing’s thigh.

Chen Caixing looked at the little brother primary school student who hung on his thigh. Very good, really good at showing off!

“Hahaha, suit yourself, suit yourself.” Monkey laughed heartily. He was laughing in ridicule. He turned his head and pleasantly said, “Don’t be angry Jin ge, these two weak chickens will absolutely not live after tonight.”

He directly swore in the presence of Chen Caixing, stating clearly that there was strength in numbers. He didn’t place Chen Caixing and Yuan Jiuwan in his eyes at all. A lean and beautiful young man with a primary school student dragging his hind legs. This sort of team in the supernatural game was a synonym for ‘courting death’ and ‘useless’.

Chen Caixing didn’t plan to speak any harsh words. He patted at the head at his thigh, meaning to leave. Yuan Jiuwan did what was told and obediently held Chen Caixing’s hand. When the two of them left the living room, Yuan Jiuwan silently turned back. His lovable and pitiful face was serene, his cold eyes settled on Monkey.

Monkey gave a shiver mysteriously.

The wax museum wasn’t small. The group of eight people started to search the room under the veterans’ command. Chen Caixing looked outside the window. The corpse of the uncle from yesterday, had disappeared. The veterans came down early. The french window was large so they should have noticed it a long time ago but no one had mentioned it. The veterans seemed to keep calm in the face of the unexpected disappearance of the corpse.

Chen Caixing had an intuition. He wanted to understand where the corpse had gone.

“Gege? Do you want to go out to look?” Yuan Jiuwan followed Chen Caixing’s gaze to look outside the window, tilting his head adorably.2

Chen Caixing looked at the naive and adorable primary school student with a face full of trust for him. He ineffably had a sense of pride in being a boss. He kept silent. A boss of a primary school student, it was a bit like eighth-grader syndrome.3

“Jin ge, those two went out.” Monkey reported.

“Wait a while, if they don’t die then we’ll go.” When Jin ge finished speaking, the one surnamed Zhao beside him said, “We still need to go to the third floor.”

“Call the newcomers to test it out tomorrow.”

Outside the wax museum was a lawn, white mottling was peeling off the short fence. Other than the fence, a thick fog surrounded. People had some instinct towards danger. In any case, Chen Caixing felt they couldn’t get close to the thick fog. There was no problem in maneuvering within the scope of the area surrounded by the thick fog.

The house stood tall and isolated. No one took care of the lawn, it was turning yellow and wilted. He surmised it was autumn.

There was a small pathway leading to behind the house. Chen Caixing walked towards the back but the grip on his hand tightened. He lowered his head and noticed the extremely tensed expression of the little brother. A short while ago, only this primary school student stood with him and supported him. Since he took up the post to become a boss, he had to conduct himself with responsibility and diligence.

“Are you afraid?”

“Mhm.” Yuan Jiuwan’s chubby face nodded. He raised his face and obediently said, “But if Gege holds my hand, I won’t be scared anymore.”

What is this otherworldly cuteness! Look4 at these sincere and trusting eyes, listening to this rainbow——cough cough.

“Good.” Chen Caixing touched his little brother’s head.

His fluffy head was too cute.

But when they arrived at the backyard, Chen Caixing’s mood turned heavy. There was a walnut tree in the corner of the backyard, with an abundance of branches and leaves. Chen Caixing was able to recognise it was a walnut tree because the tree bore fruit, at the same time, the corpse of the uncle which disappeared, was hung up on a branch.

“……It looks like there’s a grave mound under the tree.”

Chen Caixing stepped forward, wanting to look at it in detail.

“Gege, I’m scared, don’t go.”

Yuan Jiuwan suddenly spoke and hugged Chen Caixing’s thigh.

Chen Caixing shivered as he regained his rationality and he noticed he just stopped in the peripheral of the branches. He didn’t know if it was an illusion or not, the nearest branch ‘withdrew’ itself back.

Also, the corpse of the uncle simply wasn’t hung up with a rope on the tree but the branches of the tree tightly wrapped the neck of the corpse.

This tree was weird.

Chen Caixing didn’t dare to stay any longer, “Let’s go back.”

There were people arguing in the living room on the first floor.

“……Wu wu wu, it’s not me, it really wasn’t me. I really didn’t push you.” Zhao Ru complained tearfully.

The complexion of the cranky male was ashened, “Fuck your mother, if it wasn’t you then who was it, the one behind me was you. You fucking dared to push me……”

“Stop quarreling, it’s already broken. Nothing will probably happen.” Monkey smoothed things over but his eyes twinkled.

Chen Caixing paid attention to the floor, which had a corpse split up into pieces, surrounded by these people. He carefully looked at it, it was the wax figure used as a decoration. It was originally made to be highly realistic but it was broken now. Unexpectedly, there were human bones inside.

The wax figures were made using real people.

There were at least forty to fifty wax figures in the living room, made to be quite realistic. When they arrived yesterday, they were surrounded by those wax figures and were still able to convince themselves it was all fake. Now——Chen Caixing looked at that set of bones only humans had. He internally scolded profanities.

He looked at the wax figures surrounding them again, immediately becoming much gloomier.

“Nothing should happen, nothing should happen if it broke, right? Yes, the dead are already dead. Nothing will happen. Someone pushed me causing me to bump into it, breaking it into pieces.” The cranky male looked towards the veterans, inquiring earnestly.

Monkey gave a few perfunctory sentences. Chen Caixing took notice of the other three veterans looking at the cranky male like he was a dead man.

The cranky male evidently noticed it and had a breakdown while raining curses on Zhao Ru, to the extent of wanting to act on her. If not for Zhao Ru pushing him, he would not have bumped into that wax figure.

“Slut, slut, even if I die, I’ll bring you down with me.”

Blue veins erupted on the cranky male as he clutched Zhao Ru’s neck with a hand. He insanely rained curses on her but what caused them to be afraid was the scene that appeared. When Zhao Ru didn’t have the breath to call for help, the facial features of the male in front of her cracked all of a sudden.

He broke down into pieces.

The matter happened in an instant.

Before everyone had time to react, the male raining curses and going mad, became minced meat in an instant.

Blood splattered.

Chen Caixing retreated a few steps to protect his little brother.

The whole living room sank into a strange silence.

Zhao Ru covered her neck as she breathed deeply. She stood dumbfounded on the spot with a lifeless gaze, “He d—died?”

“Looks like the wax figure breaking triggers a death condition.” The veteran surnamed Zhao indifferently said.

Zhao Ru didn’t dare to look at the body parts of the mutilated corpse on the floor. The male’s head was intact. Before dying, he opened his eyes widely, gazing ruthless at her. She stammered with fear, “What about the de—dead body? Leave it here? Do we need to bury him?”

“The game will deal with the corpse or do you want to bury it yourself?” Monkey said.

No wonder when the corpse outside the window had disappeared, these veterans did not say anything. As it turns out, the game would deal with it but Chen Caixing generally felt that it was a clue.

Zhao Ru kept quiet out of fear after she got publicly criticised. Of course, she didn’t dare to go bury the mutilated body parts.

“It really wasn’t me who pushed him. I really did not push him.”

“What’s the use if the person has already died?” Jin ge was impatient, swept over those still alive. His eyebrows creased, he didn’t mask his discrimination and said, “Fuck, there are only women left.”

Wang Xiaoxiao was angry but didn’t dare to talk back.

Peng!

The door of the living room opened.

Everyone was startled and looked at the NPC, Mr. House that appeared yesterday showed up.

The other party looked at the mutilated body parts on the floor and gently said, “You’re very naughty. You’ve dirtied the floor. I’ll clean it up. Children, it’s time for lunch. You can go to the kitchen to eat a meal. You don’t have to worry about this, all the blood was really wasted on the floor……”

Chen Caixing heard the NPC’s words, the other person seemed to conceal his joy at the moment, that type of ‘you already came but you still brought me some local specialty, so embarrassing’ saying he didn’t want it with his mouth but his body was very excited.

The cranky male’s flesh, Mr. House really liked it.

In the presence of everyone, Mr. House loaded the body parts in an iron bucket and carried it out of the door.

Through the french window, Chen Caixing saw Mr. House go to the backyard.

Instantly, his mind thought of that tree hanging with a corpse.

It wasn’t known when the kitchen table was filled with their lunch. It was different from the stingy coarse dry bread and fishy milk in the morning which made people’s throat coarse. It was actually an unexpected sumptuous meal.

Very western.

Pasta, steak, seafood risotto and creamy mushroom soup.

There were many kinds. The bread from the previous meal was changed to a soft fragrant milky bun.

“How can lunch in the game be so luxurious?” Chen Caixing felt that based on the standards of their meal in the morning, the game would not be so good to them. He glanced at the veterans who knitted their eyebrows and stared at the food on the table. Also, they did not immediately dig in to eat. Looks like it was not only him who harbored suspicions.

This sumptuous meal was indeed inconsistent with the former style of the game.

Chen Caixing obtained a conclusion from the veterans’ expressions.

In the morning, he only took a few bites of the bread. Frankly speaking, he was now very hungry from smelling the fragrance but he wasn’t sure if he should eat it or not. Everyone else beside him didn’t make a move, waiting for the veterans to try it first.

The veterans also didn’t make a move.

“Gege, the bread smells good” Yuan Jiuwan’s fair hands held a bun with both his hands, biting into it and savoring it. He turned his head and happily said, “Gege, you should eat. Gege didn’t eat in the morning, you must be hungry.”

Chen Caixing balding: !!! When did you pick it up? Are you all right? Don’t eat it first.” The hands of this little brother were too fast.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan Jiuwan tilted his head, failing to understand but he listened and stopped biting the bread. Only his mouth was still filled with it. His cheeks were puffed out, looking a little cute.

Chen Caixing saw that he was all right, picked up one himself to take a bite. The bread was really appetising. He was hungry.

“Let’s eat.”

Biting the bread, Chen Caixing couldn’t help but to think of the cranky male who would scold people in the morning. Now, he was gone.