Gu Jiu quickly understood the reason.
Two mermaid dolls and five little paper figures rolled out from a pile of trash in the corner.
The five paper figures clung to the mermaid dolls, wrestling furiously as if the world were ending. They were locked in a chaotic tangle, with no clear distinction between who was winning or losing. The mermaid dolls’ expressions were filled with anger and resentment, as if they wanted to tear the paper figures clinging to them into shreds.
The brawl between these non-human entities was fierce, but oddly silent. They rolled all the way to Gu Jiu’s feet without making a sound.
When blocked by a human’s feet, they froze for a moment before turning their heads simultaneously to look at her.
Gu Jiu crossed her arms, looking down at them with a cold gaze. “Wow, you’re fighting quite fiercely, huh?”
The paper figures clinging to the mermaid dolls immediately fell silent, motionless like chickens.
The mermaid dolls still looked at her with irritation, but their resentment from the previous day was gone. Their hatred had now transferred to the paper figures they’d been fighting all night. In the presence of a greater enemy, their prior animosity had retreated to the background.
Gu Jiu waved dismissively. “Carry on, don’t mind me.”
Returning indoors, she saw Lu Ji folding paper again. She smiled and asked, “Ah Ji, what’s going on with those mermaid dolls and the paper figures on the balcony? They’ve been fighting since last night?”
Lu Ji acknowledged with a low “Mm” but didn’t mention how he’d threatened them in the middle of the night to keep quiet.
When no reply came after a while, he glanced over in confusion. Gu Jiu was sitting by the window, her chin resting in her hands as she gazed out at the ocean, lost in thought.
“Ah Jiu?” he called, feeling uneasy.
Whenever her attention lingered on unrelated people or things, Lu Ji would feel a dark, destructive urge. He vaguely knew such feelings weren’t right. He had heard that most humans didn’t like people with such dark thoughts; they preferred righteous, kind individuals. But this was just his nature. He couldn’t change it, so he tried his best to keep her from knowing, often pretending as if nothing was wrong.
Gu Jiu snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling tired?”
Lu Ji wanted to say no, but what came out instead was, “A little.”
“Then let’s rest together and take a nap,” Gu Jiu said, pulling him to bed.
Lu Ji stared at the hand holding his own—slender, soft, and warm, with the heat of a human body seeping into his cold skin. It felt as though even his frozen heart was being warmed by it.
Their nap lasted three hours, and by the time they woke, it was already evening.
Yawning, Gu Jiu climbed out of bed. The balcony’s glass door was open, and the sea breeze swept in, carrying a faint fishy stench.
The smell drifted in from the sea. It hadn’t been there before their nap.
Gu Jiu sighed helplessly. She had originally thought that, now that the mermaid dolls posed no threat, they could leave the doors and windows open for ventilation. Who would have guessed that the sea breeze carried this kind of smell? It might be better to shut everything and endure the stale air.
The two decided to check on the other players’ progress today.
When they reached the villa’s first-floor lobby, they found only a few players there. It wasn’t clear if the others hadn’t returned yet or were resting upstairs. Gu Jiu and Lu Ji didn’t mind and stepped outside to stroll around the villa.
“Gu Jiu, Lu Ji, what are you two up to?”
Ge Guang’s voice rang out. Gu Jiu looked up to see him standing on the third-floor balcony, watching them.
“Enjoying the view,” Gu Jiu replied.
Ge Guang gave them a look that screamed, You’re kidding me, before waving and heading back into his room.
After a while, Ge Guang and Qi Yuheng also came outside the villa.
Ge Guang was still wearing a mask, while Qi Yuheng looked exhausted. Despite resting all afternoon, he seemed even more worn out.
Gu Jiu asked, “What’s wrong with Boss Qi?”
Covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, Qi Yuheng didn’t respond.
Ge Guang answered helplessly, “Boss Qi says the sea breeze has a smell that makes him feel like throwing up.” He sniffed the air forcefully and muttered, “I don’t smell anything, though.”
Gu Jiu replied, “…Actually, there is a smell.”
Qi Yuheng immediately turned to Gu Jiu, as if finding a kindred spirit. “You smelled it too? That rotten, fishy stench, right?” When she nodded, he glared at Ge Guang. “Now do you believe I’m not making things up?”
Ge Guang quickly said, “I never thought you were lying. I just figured your nose is unusually sensitive, different from normal people.”
Inwardly, he mused, Could it be that neat freaks even have hyper-sensitive noses? Just a hint of odor, and they’re like they’ve been poisoned. Gu Jiu said she smelled it too, but she didn’t look nearly as miserable as Qi Yuheng. Look at her calm expression—she seemed like she was on a leisure trip, sightseeing and broadening her horizons.
Seeing Qi Yuheng’s pale face, Gu Jiu suggested, “Why don’t you wear a gas mask?”
Qi Yuheng shot back, “…No, it looks ugly.”
So because it looks ugly, you’d rather keep suffering from the stench in the sea breeze? Gu Jiu didn’t quite understand the psychology of neat freaks. She gave a faint smile and continued studying the black streaks climbing up the villa walls. Were they some kind of seaweed, vines, or traces left by a living organism?
Lu Ji’s eyes flickered, and when no one was watching, he crushed a small piece of the substance in his hand.
Eventually, Qi Yuheng couldn’t endure the smell anymore and retreated indoors, covering his nose and mouth.
Ge Guang, intrigued by the “scenery” Gu Jiu and Lu Ji were examining, stayed outside with them for a while. He even tried prying off some of the black streaks on the walls, but after much effort, he couldn’t break off a single piece.
“This stuff is so tough,” he said, clicking his tongue in amazement. “Gu Jiu, do you have any idea what it is?”
Gu Jiu shook her head.
As the sky darkened, the three still hadn’t figured out what the streaks were. They reluctantly decided to head back into the villa.
The moment they stepped inside, they were greeted by the sight of two sticky “couples” embracing each other. The overly intimate scene was so cringeworthy that all the players present felt their eyes burning.
One of the female players said sweetly, “Brother Wang, look at this fish eye I found today. Isn’t it beautiful? I want to give the most beautiful fish eye to you so you can be the happiest man in the world.”
A moved male voice responded, “Sister Shu, I’m so happy! I want you to be the happiest woman in the world too. Here, this is the fish eye I’m giving you.”
The two exchanged fish eyes as if no one else existed and even gave smug looks to the surrounding players.
The onlookers were baffled, wondering what there was to feel smug about. These gross fish eyes didn’t seem beautiful at all.
Meanwhile, another pair of muscular male “lovers” were also exchanging gifts in an equally sticky manner.
These two pairs of players were perfectly adhering to the task announced by the butler earlier: “Give fish eyes to your beloved as a token of affection.”
“Brother Nian, you gave me such a precious gift. I’m so touched,” said the slender man in the pair, his voice full of emotion.
Brother Nian’s face darkened. “This is just for the task. Don’t read too much into it.”
The slender man looked at him with misty eyes and said, “I’ve got a gift for you too. Brother Nian, you must take good care of it.”
“This is just a task. Don’t you understand human language?” Brother Nian’s voice was filled with frustration.
“I know, Brother Nian. You’re just shy,” the slender man replied with a grin.
“…”
Realizing that the skinny monkey only heard what he wanted and ignored everything else, Brother Nian finally reached his breaking point. He twisted his partner’s arm and pinned him to the ground, preventing any further disgusting antics.
The other, more “normal” players in the room looked on with expressions of sympathy for Brother Nian’s plight.
The players who had eaten the sashimi were no longer acting normal. Not only had they developed a severe case of “romantic obsession,” but their cognitive abilities also seemed warped. It was hard to imagine how they could possibly clear the game in this state.
Gu Jiu noticed that all twenty players were present in the hall, which suggested that the day’s tasks had been manageable with their current capabilities.
When the butler appeared in the living room, the players immediately turned their wary gazes toward him.
Unbothered by their hostility, the butler said, “You’ve worked hard today. Dinner has been prepared in the dining room. You may eat and get a good night’s rest.”
The way he said “a good night’s rest” seemed to carry an unsettling undertone, but the players weren’t sure if it was just their imagination.
No one moved, wary that dinner might once again include the same sashimi as the night before. With the victims of the previous meal present, no one dared touch anything, no matter how tempting it might appear.
The butler ignored the players’ reactions and left without another word.
Some players, uninterested in dinner and wary of being tempted by the sashimi, chose to return to their rooms and rest after the butler’s departure.
However, the two pairs of “couples” who had eaten the sashimi yesterday acted as if nothing was wrong and headed toward the dining room.
Curious, the remaining players peeked toward the dining room and saw the four sitting together, feeding each other in a nauseatingly affectionate manner. The sight sent shivers down their spines.
Pinned to the ground, the skinny monkey called out, “Brother Nian, let’s go have dinner! I’ll feed you!”
Feeling the weight of the onlookers’ subtle gazes, Brother Nian’s face turned beet red with shame. Furious, he delivered a karate chop to the back of the skinny monkey’s neck, knocking him out cold, and dragged him away to avoid further embarrassment.
Witnessing this, Qi Yuheng’s tense expression eased slightly. Although the fish-eyed people had aggravated his germophobia, he felt somewhat reassured knowing he wasn’t the worst off. If Ge Guang started acting like that skinny monkey, Qi Yuheng might genuinely lose control.
Ge Guang, still curious, ran to the dining room to investigate and returned to report, “Tonight’s dinner is a seafood feast, but there’s no sign of that strange sashimi.”
Lu Haidi nodded in realization. “No wonder the butler ignored us earlier. He probably knew we’d be on guard tonight, so they didn’t bother preparing it.”
“The sashimi was likely only served yesterday when we first arrived in the game world. Starting today, we’ve grown cautious. If they serve it again, no one would dare touch it,” Lu Haidi continued.
“Or maybe that sashimi is actually quite rare and can’t be offered every day,” Ruan Yuan suggested with a different perspective.
In any case, with the affected players as cautionary examples, no one was willing to risk touching the food in the dining room, no matter how normal it seemed.
After dinner, Gu Jiu handed four small paper figures to Ruan Yuan. “There might be more trouble tonight. Stay alert.”
Ruan Yuan happily accepted them and said with a smile, “Thank you, Miss Gu and Ah Ji. Worst case, we just won’t sleep tonight.”
When Gu Jiu returned to her room, she found that the mermaid dolls and the paper figures had called a truce.
The mermaid dolls were sitting on the couch, their expressions somewhere between anger and venom, staring directly at the door. Meanwhile, the five small paper figures sat nearby, ready to restrain them at a moment’s notice.
Gu Jiu glanced at them nonchalantly and remarked, “You can’t even beat a few paper figures? How pathetic… Looks like I overestimated you.”
What could hurt one’s pride more than being belittled by a human?
The two mermaid dolls were so furious that their sea-blue hair floated up, but before they could make a move, they were subdued by the five little paper figures.
When Gu Jiu passed by again and saw the mermaid dolls pinned down on the sofa by the paper figures, she couldn’t help but remark once more, “So useless!”
So useless!
Useless!
Less!