Wan Xingzhou was drenched in cold sweat, utterly speechless.
Yet the couple stared intently at him, their expressions shrouded in an ominous darkness that clearly marked them as inhuman. Their gaze weighed heavily on him, nearly forcing him into a state of stunned silence on the spot.
He knew that no matter how he answered, he’d end up in trouble.
If he said yes, Madam Herlan would likely tear him to shreds on the spot. If he said no, then it would be Lord Herlan’s turn to take him apart.
At that moment, Madam Herlan spoke in a sickly sweet tone, “Dear, this woman has nothing to do with you, does she?”
Ignoring her current darkened and ominous appearance, her voice and tone were almost compelling enough to make him want to agree with her just to stay on her good side.
Wan Xingzhou stammered, “Uh…well…”
“Madam, I truly have no connection to him; I only met him today,” Gu Jiu’s voice interjected, momentarily easing Wan Xingzhou’s crisis and filling him with such gratitude that he was nearly in tears. He gazed at her with the adoration of a puppy, his dark eyes watery and pitifully cute.
However, the couple seemed far from satisfied with Gu Jiu’s response.
Lord Herlan’s stare was chilling as he fixed his gaze upon her. Even though he appeared as a shadowy figure, his facial features obscured, the unyielding force of his gaze pressed down on her, an ominous sense of danger emanating from him.
Wan Xingzhou felt the cold sweat drip down his back, his heart clenching tighter and tighter.
But Gu Jiu appeared oblivious, standing there with a serene smile, looking almost like a noblewoman taking a leisurely stroll among flowers, so calm and poetic that everyone’s gaze was inevitably drawn to her.
Wan Xingzhou’s anxiety eased slightly from her composure and tranquility. He quietly attempted to sidle away, but Madam Herlan’s grip on his arm was relentless, preventing any escape.
Madam Herlan scoffed, “Lady, you should be bold and honest with the truth. There’s no need to lie. Even if you were his lover, I wouldn’t be angry.”
Wan Xingzhou broke into a fresh wave of cold sweat.
He couldn’t miss the undercurrent here. Both members of this couple hoped Gu Jiu’s answer would confirm their suspicions: Madam Herlan wanted Gu Jiu to be Lord Herlan’s lover, while Lord Herlan wanted her to be Wan Xingzhou’s secret companion. Unfortunately, Gu Jiu’s response left them both hanging.
Gu Jiu, feigning innocence, replied, “Madam, I truly didn’t know Lord Herlan before this; this is our first meeting.”
Madam Herlan raised her voice, “If you’re not his lover, then how did you get into the castle?”
Lord Herlan’s presence was equally oppressive, making it clear he intended to take severe action against any intruders in his domain.
“Didn’t you invite me yourself, Madam?” Gu Jiu replied calmly, “Could it be that you’ve forgotten what happened early this morning?”
Madam Herlan asked, “What happened?”
Gu Jiu let out a soft sigh and explained gently, “I am but a grieving widow, desperate to resurrect my partner. I heard there was a way to summon a demon within Herlan Castle, so I made my way here…”
Hearing this, Lord and Madam Herlan noticeably recoiled, their imposing demeanor softening slightly.
Wan Xingzhou was left dumbfounded. Could it really be this easy?
He hadn’t expected Gu Jiu to continue role-playing as the character from the mission script. The way she spoke was so convincing that even he, a player who knew the truth, almost believed her—let alone the two NPCs.
Lord Herlan asked cautiously, “Then why do you still linger in the castle? You should leave immediately. Herlan Castle does not welcome you.”
Madam Herlan’s figure wavered slightly. Although her expression was hidden, her agitated demeanor was evident.
Gu Jiu had been carefully observing the couple. Seeing their reactions, she grew more confident in her approach.
“Because I haven’t resurrected my partner yet,” Gu Jiu said with a relaxed air. Only Wan Xingzhou, as a player, could tell she was completely making things up, stringing along the two NPCs. “I’m waiting for a second chance. I thought the lady could help me.”
Madam Herlan immediately replied, “I’m sorry, but I am powerless to assist you.”
Gu Jiu turned her gaze to Lord Herlan, who quickly added, “I am also unable to help.”
With a wistful sigh, she said slowly, “Actually, you two could help me. If you won’t, then I won’t leave.”
Wan Xingzhou thought to himself, ...Don’t get too into the role! Why not take this chance to leave this dangerous room?
He was on the verge of being driven mad by the young lady’s actions, completely unsure of her intentions.
Madam Herlan asked, “How would you have us help you?”
Gu Jiu replied, “The fifth floor of the castle—you could take us there.”
“…”
Wan Xingzhou’s whole body shuddered. He sensed that, upon mentioning the castle’s fifth floor, the dark couple’s inhuman, ruthless side emerged fully.
Without further pretense, they moved to attack.
Gu Jiu swiftly retreated, dodging Lord Herlan’s strike.
His hand swiped at her with astounding speed. When she dodged, his hand smashed into a table lamp behind her, shattering it instantly.
Gu Jiu’s eyes narrowed as she steadied herself and took on his second assault.
As Gu Jiu engaged with Lord Herlan, the bedroom door burst open. Ruan Yuan and Lu Ji came rushing in.
Without hesitation, Lu Ji rushed to assist Gu Jiu, delivering a forceful kick at Lord Herlan.
Lord Herlan flew backward, crashing hard against the wall.
Standing at the doorway, Ruan Yuan took in the scene and restrained the urge to attack Lu Ji, holding her weapon back. “Gu Jiu, the hallway is full of black figures—the people from the paintings are coming out!”
Gu Jiu shouted back, “Inform the other players; head to the fifth floor of the castle, now!”
Ruan Yuan gave a quick nod but didn’t leave. Instead, she drew a fan from her inventory and swung it toward Lu Ji, shouting wildly, “I don’t want to! But I can’t control myself! Sister Lu, my fan is a weapon—watch out!”
It was impossible to hold back when players on opposing sides were forced to fight to the death.
As Ruan Yuan lunged forward, Wan Xingzhou, still held by Madam Herlan, suddenly let out a loud yell. Not only did he break free from her grasp, but he also intercepted Ruan Yuan, pulling her out of the room with him.
Ruan Yuan was stunned.
Even Gu Jiu was a little surprised. She had assumed Wan Xingzhou was just an unlucky, naive player, yet here he was, showing himself to be quite formidable.
Wan Xingzhou’s voice drifted from the hallway, “Hurry up, you guys! There’s too many dark figures out here. We can’t hold them off!”
In unison, Gu Jiu and Lu Ji gave the ghostly couple a swift kick, forcing them back into the room. They rushed outside, slammed the door shut behind them, and secured it with a small paper charm. The charm pressed tightly against the door, preventing the couple from escaping.
Outside, they found the fourth-floor hallway teeming with shadowy figures, with other players already locked in battle against them.
Gu Jiu casually drew her dagger and leapt into the fray.
Despite the sheer number of shadow figures, their combat abilities were low, akin to ordinary humans. However, their overwhelming numbers made it difficult for players to hold their ground.
Seeing Gu Jiu and the others, a group of players called out excitedly, “Come on, let’s fight our way out together!”
They had been working on a mission and had just arrived on the fourth floor when they saw a flood of dark figures emerge from the castle’s portraits. Though not exactly terrifying, the sight was enough to make one’s skin crawl.
After all, just imagining all the portrait figures in the castle coming to life was terrifying.
As Ruan Yuan ran, being dragged by Wan Xingzhou, she shouted, “Has anyone completed their mission? If not, use your substitute cards! If you don’t have a substitute card, use any other tool you’ve got!”
The other players, heeding her advice, quickly deployed whatever tools they had to free themselves from the constraints of their missions, avoiding any friendly fire.
Finally, the players gathered together and began fighting their way toward the fifth floor.
Wan Xingzhou, wielding a long red sword, thrust it through one shadow figure after another. Since these figures were so clearly not human, he felt no guilt and swung his sword with pure glee.
This sword, a reward from completing a game world, was especially effective against sinister entities.
The other players’ weapons couldn’t harm the shadow figures, merely pushing them aside. But Wan Xingzhou, with his red sword, cut through the shadows like slicing through vegetables, each swing leaving behind pools of black liquid.
After such a long streak of bad luck, Wan Xingzhou was finally having a good run, and he was thrilled.
Gu Jiu noticed her dagger was also effective, though still not as potent as her enchanted armor, which cut down enemies with precision.
“Darling…”
Madam Herlan’s saccharine voice sounded, nearly causing Wan Xingzhou to accidentally stab himself.
He shivered, looked back, and cried out in frustration, “I already used a substitute card to escape this mission! Why is she still chasing me?”
Gu Jiu and the others took a quick glance and saw Madam Herlan indeed pursuing them.
If they were still bound to the mission, it might make sense for Madam Herlan to chase after her “lover.” But since Wan Xingzhou had already used a substitute card to break free from the mission’s constraints, he shouldn’t still be bound as Madam Herlan’s “lover.”
Madam Herlan pursued them with an unnerving speed, moving swiftly among the shadowy figures. Just as she neared, she suddenly leapt upward, clinging to the ceiling like a lizard and crawling rapidly toward the players along the walls.
“Darling, wait for me,” she called sweetly to Wan Xingzhou, her voice dripping with affection, though her movements betrayed a viciousness that didn’t match her tone. If he hadn’t dodged quickly, she might have twisted his head off.
Wan Xingzhou didn’t dare let his guard down. As Madam Herlan lunged at him again, he swung his red sword, slicing through her outstretched hand.
The severed black hand fell to the ground and dissolved into a puddle of dark liquid.
Madam Herlan screamed in pain. Without her hand, she could no longer crawl along the walls with ease.
Wan Xingzhou took this opportunity to bolt.
Meanwhile, Gu Jiu was busy fending off the shadowy figures blocking her path when she suddenly felt an intense killing intent. She dodged to the side just in time to see a paper crane fly out from her pocket, blocking a black hand that was reaching for her heart from behind.
The hand crushed the paper crane to dust.
She leapt aside, looking back to see Lord Herlan crouched atop the heads of the shadowy figures, his gaze fixed on her. It seemed he had followed Madam Herlan, blending in with the dark crowd before launching his ambush.
Gu Jiu had realized by now that among the shadow figures, the most formidable were Lord and Madam Herlan.
As the castle’s owners, their power was clearly stronger, and they were intentionally blocking the players’ path to the fifth floor, confirming Gu Jiu’s suspicions.
This game mission was practically unwinnable for players under normal circumstances.
The mission required players to successfully act out a “death movie.” If a player died during the filming sequence, their death would be projected in the castle’s fifth-floor screening room, marking the completion of the film.
However, it was well known that the game world never imposed situations where players were destined to die; there was always a balancing rule.
Gu Jiu had been searching for a way to break free from this scripted fate, seeking out this game world’s hidden rule of balance.
During her 4:00 a.m. mission, she finally realized that the elusive game boss intended to kill her, evident by the perilous tasks given only to her.
This was because she had already visited the castle’s fifth floor once and completed her task successfully.
After speaking with other players, Gu Jiu confirmed that she was the only one who had completed the exploration mission for the fifth floor.
Among the eight players who had died, one had also received the task of exploring the fifth floor. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been as lucky as Gu Jiu and had perished on the first day, ending up as a part of the movie’s cast.
So, in today’s mission, all the other players’ tasks were interconnected, except hers. She was meant to be a “dead person” from the start.
The part 3 of the full translation file is now available on my Kofi!