Not long after the players sat down, the landlord appeared again, almost ghost-like.
Seeing that none of the players were missing and all were seated in the living room, his face darkened noticeably, brimming with anger as if he was ready to deal with them himself.
Gu Jiu, with her fiery temper flaring up, retorted, “What are you staring at? Keep staring, and I’ll kill you!”
Silently, everyone applauded in their hearts. The young lady was amazing. They loved seeing her make the NPCs in this game back down, speechless.
The landlord seemed to be somewhat intimidated by her, letting out a cold huff as he turned into the kitchen to bring out breakfast.
With a sarcastic tone, he said, “Today’s the last day, not much time left. Eat your fill while you can; you might not get another chance.”
Gu Jiu picked up the chopsticks on the table and tapped them lightly on the tabletop, smiling as she said, “Relax, we’ll have plenty more chances. But you might not.”
The landlord’s expression stiffened, and he stormed off in anger once again.
Watching the landlord’s retreating figure, Ying Tong furrowed her brow and said, “Although what he said wasn’t pleasant, it’s actually a hint for us. If tonight…”
Today was indeed the final day and also the most dangerous. Whether the players would successfully pass this stage depended on what happened tonight.
The other players were also somewhat anxious, harboring a vague sense of fear toward what awaited them tonight, wishing it would never come.
After breakfast, the players sat there, not quite knowing what to do for a moment.
Should they search the house? Over the past two days, they had already meticulously searched every corner of it multiple times.
Should they look for ghosts? They’d already found all the ones they could, and what good would it do to find more?
Thinking it over, they realized that there seemed to be nothing left to do today but sit and wait for night to fall.
But the players weren’t ones to sit and wait for doom to arrive. Even the most timid among them would put in the effort to survive, seizing every possible opportunity.
Ying Tong looked toward Gu Jiu and asked, “Miss Gu, did you catch the ghost in your room last night?”
Though she hadn’t been outside last night, she’d kept an ear on Gu Jiu and the others. But after returning to her room, a wave of sleepiness hit, making it hard to stay awake. Struggling against the drowsiness, she couldn’t focus on the noises outside her door and wasn’t sure how things had ended up.
Seeing them here at the table today, she figured they must be alright.
“Yes, we caught it.” Gu Jiu smiled. “It was a little ghost, pretty lively.”
Everyone looked at her, slightly taken aback. It was the first time they’d heard anyone describe a ghost as “lively.” This young lady sure had a unique way of speaking.
Ying Tong murmured an acknowledgment, then continued to sit there in thought, trying to find the key point to this game. If they could identify it, they’d surely make it through the night and successfully clear this stage.
As all the players pondered, Gu Jiu suddenly spoke up, “I figured out what the seven sheeps mean.”
Huh?!!
Her words startled everyone, and they turned to her with eager eyes, a newfound vitality shining on their faces, brushing away the weariness of two sleepless nights.
Fatty rubbed his hands together and asked, “Sis, what does the ‘seven sheeps’ mean? Are they referring to the seven ghosts in this house?”
“Yes.” Gu Jiu nodded. “There are indeed seven ghosts here, and the seven sheeps refer to them.”
All the players widened their eyes, exclaiming in surprise. They wore puzzled expressions on their faces. Although they had speculated yesterday that the “seven” in “Seven Sheeps” referred to the seven ghosts in the house, they still couldn’t grasp why they were called “sheeps.”
Ying Tong frowned and said, “From what we know so far, there seem to be only six ghosts, right?”
Counting the little ghost Gu Jiu caught in the empty room last night, Lu Ji’s paper frog had swallowed five ghosts, and then there was the ghost in the first-floor hallway with just a pair of skeletal legs visible, which made six in total. So where was the seventh?
Fatty raised his hand excitedly. “I know! The seventh ghost is in the stairwell, but it only comes out at night.”
He then recounted the events from last night when they were waiting in the hallway for the ghost in the room to appear. At the time, the sound of footsteps from the stairwell indicated that a ghost was indeed lurking there. However, since that ghost only appeared at night and they avoided venturing out after dark due to the landlord’s warning, they hadn’t encountered it and were unaware of its presence.
In this game world, there was no distinction between day and night; even in “daytime,” the entire world was shrouded in darkness.
This perpetual darkness subtly misled the players, making them accustomed to encountering ghosts during the dark “day.” This led them to overlook the fact that some ghosts might be more active at night.
Everyone had a look of sudden realization on their faces.
Now, they understood the locations of the seven ghosts.
“I see,” Ying Tong quickly connected the dots regarding the ghosts and remarked, “Each ghost in this house has its own domain. They are trapped in specific areas and cannot leave. Finding them is easy once you know where to look, but timing is key; otherwise, you’ll never figure out their exact locations, and finding all seven ghosts would be impossible.”
If they hadn’t ventured out at night, they would never have known about the ghost in the stairwell that only appeared after dark. Without finding all seven ghosts, who knows what might happen on the third night?
Ying Tong felt a shiver down her spine. She turned to Gu Jiu and asked, “Miss Gu, why are these seven ghosts referred to as the seven sheeps?”
Game titles usually reflect the game’s content. This game was named “Seven Sheeps,” and they had brainstormed numerous theories before, but they’d never considered that the seven sheeps might be the seven ghosts in the house.
After all, calling ghosts “sheeps” made no logical sense, so it was understandable they hadn’t thought of it.
Gu Jiu rested her chin on her hand and lazily replied, “It’s probably because these seven ghosts used to be food for a monster with the head of a sheep and the body of a human. Haven’t you heard the saying that humans can be considered two-legged sheep1The metaphor of “two-legged sheep” is a way of describing humans as being similar to livestock or animals that are raised for consumption, implying that they are nothing more than prey or food.?”
Her nonchalant remark sent a chill down the players’ spines.
Tu Shuai shivered, saying, “That monster… so it used to eat humans?”
The man in the suit and the nerdy guy squeezed together in fear, while Wen Xiuxiu’s face went pale. Only the tattooed strongman, Brother Qiang, managed to keep his composure.
Seeing the reaction of the newcomers, the experienced players couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. Then one of them remarked, “So, the monster with the sheep’s head and human body is the boss of this stage—a man-eating ogre? No wonder it gets stronger each day.”
Knowing the identity of the game’s boss made things much simpler.
“But why is the boss a sheep-headed human? Isn’t that a bit… grotesque?” Fatty asked, puzzled. “It enters our dreams every night, probably to eat us in our sleep, right?”
He directed the question at Gu Jiu. Since discovering her sharp mind, Fatty had grown fond of asking her for answers.
Not only him, but the other players also looked at Gu Jiu with eyes full of curiosity and anticipation.
Gu Jiu nodded. “Exactly! As for why it looks so grotesque, I think it might be a punishment for treating humans as two-legged sheep for food. That’s why it’s been turned into a monster with the head of a sheep and the body of a human.”
Those who were eaten by the monster, in turn, became ghosts.
Her theory was based on encounters like the cannibal ghost rummaging through the kitchen trash, as well as the landlord’s strange behavior. All of these offered hints to the players.
Ying Tong had a sudden realization, her face darkening as she speculated, “Could it be that the monster with the sheep’s head was originally human? Maybe he turned into an ogre because he ate people, and was then cursed to look like this as punishment?”
Otherwise, why would a perfectly normal human body end up with a sheep’s head? Why not just turn him into a full sheep?
This theory made many players feel a chill.
“Sister Ying, you’re not messing with us, right?” one of the more timid male players asked with a tearful expression. “Who would be crazy enough to eat people?”
Fatty replied bluntly, “Don’t try to apply real-world logic to a game world. If the monster didn’t eat people, would it even be here?”
Player: “.…” No words.
Still, there was something Ying Tong couldn’t quite figure out, so she asked, “Miss Gu, if these seven ghosts were people who became spirits after being devoured by the ogre, what purpose do they serve now?”
Gu Jiu smiled, a gentle warmth in her expression.
“Sister Ying, you already know the answer. Why ask me?”
Ying Tong’s cheeks flushed. She just wanted to confirm her thoughts with someone!
In previous games, she’d fought her way through relying on her own wits. Though she’d faced down bosses, she mostly scraped through to the end, rarely facing them head-on. As a D-ranked player, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to directly confront a boss, so it was usually best to avoid them.
But this time, thanks to Gu Jiu’s guidance, they’d been steadily uncovering the truth, giving her the strong feeling that they were headed for a direct confrontation with the boss.
And her instinct was spot on.
Gu Jiu said, “Tonight, let’s all put in a little extra effort. We’re going to take down the ogre, and then we’ll be able to leave.”
Everyone: “!!!!!!!”
Even Fatty, who usually had utmost faith in Gu Jiu, was so stunned that his scalp prickled. Stammering, he asked, “S-Sis, you’re joking, right?”
“I’m not joking,” Gu Jiu replied calmly. “Today is the last day. Before we leave this game, we’re going to face the boss one way or another. So rather than waiting around to get attacked, why don’t we strike first and finish it off?”
The players were dazed as they realized they hadn’t misheard—Gu Jiu truly intended to take on the boss.
One player groaned, “Miss Gu, you’re overestimating us…”
They were all beginners, lacking both power and resources. What could they possibly use to kill the boss? Sure, they had numbers, but that hardly seemed enough. Although they’d all managed to survive up to this point, it didn’t mean they could successfully take down a boss just because of their numbers.
Ying Tong, ever pragmatic, spoke up, “Miss Gu, we really don’t need to face the boss. If we just survive through tonight, we’re sure to clear the level.”
Knowing who the boss was made it easier to last until the game’s end, even if it meant earning fewer points.
Gu Jiu looked at the group, clearly understanding their thoughts, and didn’t press them to join her in confronting the boss.
Once the players dispersed to find something to do, Gu Jiu stretched and took Lu Ji’s hand.
“Ah Ji, let’s take a walk to get our blood moving.”
Lu Ji looked at her arm, linked so naturally with his, feeling a bit self-conscious as a slight blush crept onto his face. In Boundless City, he’d seen many girls linking arms like this, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, drawing no second glances.
“Shouldn’t you rest?” Lu Ji asked. “Knowing you, if tonight’s busy, you’d normally rest during the day.”
Gu Jiu shook her head. “I’m not sure if sleeping during the day will pull us into a dream. Better not to sleep.”
The other players shared this concern, so even if they were exhausted, none dared sleep, opting instead to busy themselves to stay awake.
As the two strolled aimlessly, the brothers approached.
“Sis, are you really going to face the boss tonight?” Fatty couldn’t hide his worry and was eager to dissuade her.
Gu Jiu nodded, and seeing their worried faces, she explained, “Honestly, even if I tried to avoid it, that creature would probably come after me anyway.”
“Why?” The brothers looked at her in surprise, puzzled.
Gu Jiu touched her nose, unwilling to explain further.
Only Lu Ji understood. The young lady had stirred up the boss’s hatred in their dreams; the boss wasn’t going to let her off. It would certainly come for her. So rather than waiting for it to attack, she might as well go on the offensive and kill the boss first.
It was that simple!
Seeing that she didn’t want to explain, the brothers grew even more concerned, deciding to keep an eye on her tonight. If things went south, they’d just have to help her escape.
Given Gu Jiu’s delicate constitution—where she was out of breath after a few steps—they figured she wouldn’t be able to outrun the boss. They’d have no choice but to pull her along.
The brothers still remembered her as the frail young lady from the “Cursed Village” level, an image deeply embedded in their minds.
Ordinarily, the third day would be the tensest for players, who’d be desperate enough to turn the whole house upside down. But with Gu Jiu’s early revelations, they didn’t have to search for more clues, leaving everyone feeling a bit at a loss for things to do.
A day without anything to do felt excruciatingly long.
Finally, as the landlord reappeared like a ghost to remind them it was dinner time, the players realized that nightfall was approaching.
The landlord’s mood was visibly good, with a skeletal grin plastered on his face. His smile was filled with malice.
“Tonight is your last night here. I hope you all have a pleasant evening.”
Though he said “pleasant,” his gaze, as he looked at them like prey, grew more overtly predatory, almost drooling at the thought of his “food.”
The players, now aware that the monster with the sheep’s head and human body was a man-eating ogre—and that they themselves were its food—knew the landlord was likely its lackey. They didn’t need much imagination to see he was probably an ogre too.
None of them showed the landlord any friendliness, and they couldn’t help but glance at Gu Jiu, waiting for her to put him in his place.
But this time, Gu Jiu surprised them. She responded without her usual sharpness, smiling politely, “You’re right. We’ll have a very enjoyable evening. As for whether or not you will, well, we’ll see.”
The landlord’s smile immediately faded.
He sneered, “Let’s see if you’re still this bold tonight.”
“You already said that on the first night,” Gu Jiu reminded him, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Or have you got so much grass packed into that brain of yours that you can’t remember your own words? Then again, guys like you, leading disappointing lives, only know how to bully the weak and act as lapdogs for certain beings. When you face anyone stronger, all you can do is get on your knees and beg…”
The landlord was so infuriated that he nearly threw down the tray of food in his hand.
The players watched in silence, confirming that, as always, the young lady had her fiery temper.
After sending the landlord away fuming, Gu Jiu had Lu Ji bring out bread and water to share with everyone.
“Eat up,” she told them. “You’ll need the strength for tonight.”
Everyone: “!!!!!” Was she really planning to go head-to-head with the boss?