The sky outside the window was gradually darkening.
The twin sisters looked at the sky over the villa, their expressions somber.
They were like two halves of the same being, connected at heart. They could see what the other saw, hear what the other heard, know what the other knew, and feel what the other felt, with no barriers between them, creating an intimacy beyond words.
This seamless connection also allowed them to survive better in the game world. Just one more game, and they would level up to the C-level game field.
“Elder sister, I don’t feel too good. It’s like there are countless eyes watching us, but I can’t find the source,” said the younger sister, Ling Le, with a troubled expression.
Ling Huan embraced her sister, gently ruffling her hair in a comforting gesture.
Ge Guang was polishing his gun—a psychic firearm, exceptionally effective against ghosts. He had purchased it with all his points after completing his fifth game world.
After buying this psychic gun, Ge Guang was instantly broke and had to rely on Big Boss Qi for points up to this day.
He looked over at the twin sisters and said, “Tonight is the fifth night; the ghosts in the villa are bound to be stronger than in previous nights. It’s normal to feel this way! You two better stay alert later, so you don’t drag Big Boss Qi down.”
The sisters replied in unison, “We won’t! Don’t underestimate us!”
As the sky darkened fully, stars began to appear one by one over the villa.
Qi Yuheng sat in an ornately carved round chair, took a pair of black gloves from his pouch, and carefully put them on before standing up. “Let’s head out.”
The sisters and Ge Guang stood up simultaneously, weapons in hand, and followed him.
Ge Guang moved ahead to open the door. The dim, eerie glow of the outdoor lamps spilled into the hallway. All the doors on the second floor were shut tight, adding to the eerie silence.
“Strange, where is everyone else?” Ge Guang murmured in confusion. It didn’t make sense for all the other players to be hiding away, did it?
Qi Yuheng glanced at the room at the end of the hall, thought for a moment, and walked over to knock on the door.
The door remained closed, as if no one were inside.
Qi Yuheng seemed to understand. “It seems that all the players have been separated into different spaces.”
The three quickly caught on to his meaning and exclaimed, “Big Boss Qi, you mean that while others are also in the villa, we won’t be able to see them?”
Qi Yuheng nodded slightly.
This phenomenon was as if the villa had turned into multiple foreign spaces, like parallel dimensions that did not intersect. Even if the players stood right in front of one another, they would be unable to see each other.
“Interesting.” Qi Yuheng chuckled. It seemed that whatever was lurking behind the scenes didn’t want the players to join forces.
Just then, a shadow appeared near the staircase.
The shadow extended from the stairs like a spreading pool of dark liquid, devouring the staircase entrance and the lamp’s light along with it. Where it passed, dense darkness covered everything.
Ge Guang and the twin sisters felt their eyes twitch slightly, recalling Gu Jiu’s words.
The ghosts in the villa referred to these shadows as “phantoms.” Gu Jiu had extracted a key from within these shadowy phantoms. However, she hadn’t mentioned that these shadows would be so terrifying and spread over such a wide area. How were they supposed to find the key within this darkness?
The three turned to Qi Yuheng and saw that he, too, was frowning. They paused, surprised—could even Big Boss Qi find this situation troublesome?
Qi Yuheng sighed, smoothing his clothes with a pained expression.
“Looks like I’ll be getting dirty again soon.”
The three of them: “….” There was no hope for this neat freak.
“Let’s go,” Qi Yuheng said, heading toward the stairwell.
The boundless darkness loomed like a monster ready to devour them whole. Qi Yuheng didn’t hesitate, stepping right into it, with the other three following closely behind.
Similar scenes played out throughout the villa, with other players opening their doors and stepping out voluntarily.
Meanwhile, seven newcomers huddled in one room.
Ai Ruyi sat between two brawny male roommates, hoping to feel a bit safer in their company. But after a few days in the game world, she understood well that a strong-looking man wasn’t necessarily a strong person. Similarly, a delicate and fragile-looking woman wasn’t necessarily weak. Everything in the game world was deceptive.
The other newcomers looked fearfully toward the door, but no one dared open it. Finally, Xu Chenfeng stood up and walked toward the door.
Just as his hand reached for the handle, someone stopped him, “Wait, are you really going to open it just like that?”
Xu Chenfeng turned, his expression calm, his eyes cold and detached. “Why not?”
“It’s dangerous out there…” someone muttered nervously.
“But we can’t hide in here forever, can we?” Xu Chenfeng frowned. “Sister Gu said we could work together.”
They might be newcomers without tools, power, or skills, but that didn’t mean they could only hide behind seasoned players. After all, every seasoned player had once been a newcomer too.
Xu Chenfeng’s words made everyone hesitate, but their natural timidity kept them from mustering the courage to face the dangers ahead.
“If you want to go, go by yourself. I’m not going anywhere.” A frail young man murmured, hiding himself in the narrow gap between the cabinet and the wall. One hand clutched tightly to the cabinet door, as if doing so would offer him a bit more security.
Some looked down on his cowardly behavior, while others envied him.
Xu Chenfeng frowned slightly, ignoring him, and turned to the others. “What about you?”
The remaining five exchanged glances. Ai Ruyi timidly raised her hand, biting her lip as she said, “I… I’ll go with you.”
The other four men exchanged looks, then nodded. “We’ll go too.”
These five were the same group that had previously joined forces to try to steal Gu Jiu’s food, only to be scared off by her in the end. Having experienced Gu Jiu’s terrifying presence firsthand, they feared her more than the ghosts in the villa. So, even though they were afraid, when Gu Jiu instructed them to go find the key, they decided to go out.
Xu Chenfeng’s gaze swept over them, and he suddenly chuckled.
He thought Gu Jiu was truly a fascinating presence. She had the power to embolden the timid, strip the base of their cowardice, and make others subconsciously follow her words, acting on her command.
Xu Chenfeng, Ai Ruyi, and the others searched the room for makeshift weapons. Although these “weapons” were things like coat hangers, clothing rods, and table legs, they were better than nothing.
As the six opened the door to leave, the man hiding between the cabinet and wall peeked out. He didn’t move even after the door closed, remaining frozen in place.
The man mumbled to himself, “It’s so dangerous out there. Why should we go out? We have nothing. Isn’t it better to stay hidden and let those strong people find the key? We’re just newcomers; the game is supposed to protect us, right? Only fools would go out…”
For a long time, silence hung in the air outside the door.
The man figured that those who went out had likely already been devoured by the ghosts, or worse, were dead.
“Better to stay hidden,” he muttered, curling further into the corner, his eyes scanning the empty room, alert to every corner.
Suddenly, something tapped his shoulder.
At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but when it happened a second time, his body went rigid.
There was a smooth wall behind him, making it impossible for anyone to hide there. So what was touching his shoulder…?
The sensation on his shoulder was unmistakable, with a weight that felt like a hand resting from behind. Frozen in place, he began to tremble, his teeth chattering uncontrollably as his whole body shook.
“Don’t come for me… don’t come for me… I don’t want to die…”
He mumbled, collapsing into a trembling, tearful mess, mucus and tears streaming down his face.
In that moment, he finally regretted his choice. He should have gone with the others. Even if it meant dying, it would have been less terrifying to face it together.
The room was brightly lit, and a massive shadow appeared on the wall across from him.
In the end, with the sound of bones cracking and grinding, blood splattered onto the pristine white tiles.
—
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji stood in the grand hall on the first floor.
All the lights in the hall were on, and the chandelier’s brilliant glow cast an especially bright light over the space, contrasting sharply with the darkness outside and giving the room a cold, eerie brightness.
Gu Jiu strolled leisurely around the hall, stopping at a wine cabinet in the northwest corner.
This wine cabinet hadn’t been there during the day.
She examined the collection, spotting many rare, expensive wines, even some that had become extinct in the real world.
“Ah Ji, do you think these wines are real?” Gu Jiu turned to ask.
Lu Ji shook his head, “I’m not sure.”
Since the cabinet hadn’t appeared during the day and had suddenly shown up at night, its authenticity was uncertain.
Reflecting on how unnaturally quiet the villa was once they left their room after nightfall, Lu Ji realized the villa had shifted. The players were isolated, placed in separate spaces, each in a different dimension.
They weren’t even certain if this was the same villa they’d been staying in for the past few days.
Gu Jiu smiled, “Whether it’s real or not, we’ll find out soon.”
She picked up a bottle of ‘82 Lafite, and with a gentle flick of her blood-red nails, the bottle’s neck silently snapped open. A rich, fragrant aroma filled the air, wafting around them.
Inhaling the scent, Gu Jiu narrowed her eyes slightly and said, “It’s real.”
Lu Ji looked at her in confusion, only to see her quickly stashing all the rare wines from the cabinet into her pouch.
“My uncle and elder brother both enjoy fine wines. It’s rare to come across such good bottles, so I might as well bring some back for them as a little souvenir from this trip,” Gu Jiu explained.
Lu Ji: “….” That was such an unassailable excuse.
After collecting all the wines she fancied, Gu Jiu ignored the rest and continued exploring the villa.
The villa at night was brilliantly lit, with every corner seemingly bathed in light. It was a far cry from Qingshan Village, where they only had a single oil lamp that could burn for just an hour—such extravagance.
Gu Jiu muttered, “I quite like this villa. Look at all these bright lights, as if they don’t care about the electricity bill! I thought the villa’s owner was stingy, feeding us birdseed every day, but it turns out they’re hiding rare wines. I wonder what else they’re keeping secret…”
Her tone held a hint of anticipation; it was clear that if she found anything interesting, the young lady wouldn’t hesitate to take it for herself.
It was practically like a bandit raiding the village—only, this time, the villa’s owner had invited the “lady bandit” inside.
Lu Ji couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, glancing out into the darkness beyond the window with an amused expression. If the villa’s owner could hear this, they’d probably be livid.
The two of them made their way to a storage room on the first floor. Gu Jiu tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn’t budge, so she stepped back.
“Ah Ji, I’ll leave this to you.” She flashed Lu Ji an exceptionally gentle smile, dazzling to the point it was hard to look away.
Lu Ji lowered his gaze, kicked the door, and the storage room door swung open with a loud crash.