Vol. 2 Chapter 29 – Deep Sea Sacrificial Town. (8)

Once dinner was over, tea and snacks were served, and it became a time for players to exchange information openly.

Of course, with no maid monsters around, the snacks that were served ended up either raw or burnt, so most players politely turned them down.

Lei Yingzhe and the players on the townspeople faction gathered together to go through the possible death flags that might have led to the deaths of three players today.

He wasn’t acting arrogant. He genuinely thought about the chance that the townspeople meant harm, listed different possibilities, and talked through what to do in case a flag got triggered.

Yin Liuming exchanged their respective findings with Si Cheng, Si He, and Mi Anpei.

The Si brothers had argued earlier today, but now they were just barely on speaking terms. They investigated the entire manor, checking every corner carefully, except the second floor, which Madame Solari had strictly forbidden them to enter.

“The walls around Solari Manor were built really high, and the two side gates hadn’t been opened in ages,” Si He said. “There were even rusty nails sticking out of the walls. I have no idea who they were trying to keep out.”

Yin Liuming went over everything he’d found today regarding Madame Solari.

Si He gave him a surprised look. “You clearly aren’t scared of dying, going straight against Madame Solari’s rule to head up there.”

Si Cheng looked at Yin Liuming with even more warmth in his eyes, a strong determination to prove himself visible. He started to speak, but Si He interrupted him. “Don’t even think about it.”

Si Cheng’s face went cold in an instant. Without saying a word, he moved further away from Si He to show his displeasure.

“From the way the manor is guarded, it looks like someone indeed tried to steal Madame Solari’s jewels,” Si He continued, his expression turning serious. “If Madame Solari is the dreamer behind this dream, then the townspeople and monsters might represent her fear of losing them.”

Mi Anpei scratched his head. “Then what about the sun? Our main mission is to help the townspeople bathe in sunlight…Don’t tell me it’s the sunlight of the socialist iron fist[T/N: “社會主義鐵拳” (socialist iron fist) is a satirical phrase often used online to mock authoritative or heavy-handed government actions in the name of ideology.] we’re supposed to bathe them in?”

“If we go along with the main mission one step at a time, then the way to clear this level is probably by completing the ritual and allowing either the Sunfish God or the Deep Sea Fish God to show their power,” Si He gently tapped his head. “But to actually beat the god…”

Yin Liuming looked over at Si Cheng but didn’t say a word.

Si Cheng frowned and said coldly, “If you want to say something, just say it.”

Yin Liuming rubbed his chin. “I think Madame Solari is the dreamer.”

Si He had been thinking along the same lines, but when he heard how confident Yin Liuming sounded, his curiosity was piqued. “So sure?”

“The dream is partially shaped by the dreamer. The rules in Solari Manor pretty much mirror Madame Solari’s personal expectations,” Yin Liuming explained. “In the real world, she’s likely a jewelry designer, and her obsession is all about searching for inspiration.”

Mi Anpei took a bite of his slightly burnt bread. “What does this dream have to do with designing jewelry? Fish?”

Si He said, “That’s exactly why I’ve been hesitant to be certain… Madame Solari’s style doesn’t match the town at all, which makes it seem like she might just be a boss the actual dreamer imagined.”

“Maybe being out of place is exactly what Madame Solari wants. What she desires isn’t the scenery she’s used to, but something fresh that can spark her inspiration.”

Yin Liuming pointed out the window. “I even think that although she treats the manor as her territory, she hasn’t fully taken control of the dream. What she wants is for it to create things she couldn’t predict.”

Mi Anpei lifted his teacup. “The monsters by the stone pillars? Then this designer probably wouldn’t be easily accepted by the public, right?”

Si He had only raised his teacup, watching Mi Anpei drink so eagerly, but the moment Mi Anpei brought up those disgusting monsters on the stone pillars, the image popped into his mind. A wave of nausea hit him, and he quickly set the cup down.

Si Cheng gulped down his entire cup and glared at him provocatively.

Si He was speechless. He returned to analyzing. “In that case… does the ‘sun’ mean Madame Solari’s design inspiration? That sounds a bit too vague.”

He looked at Yin Liuming, waiting for him to reason further.

Yin Liuming spread his hands. “If I had already figured it out, we’d have cleared the level by now.”

He casually reached for the tea and lifted the cup, but right before he took a sip, Shen Lou’s low voice murmured beside him, “Don’t drink.”

Yin Liuming’s hand froze.

“There’s something wrong with the tea.”

Yin Liuming’s gaze fell on the teacup in his hand.

The cup was made of smooth white porcelain, holding tea that gave off a rich, sweet aroma. Its pale orange surface rippled slightly, with gentle wisps of steam rising above it.

Shen Lou seemed to understand what Yin Liuming was about to ask and went on, “The tea contains the malice of this dream.”

Yin Liuming understood that Shen Lou wouldn’t say something like that to tease him. He placed the teacup down with a serious expression and held Mi Anpei’s hand to stop him. “Wait.”

He turned to call Chi Xi over and asked him to smell the tea.

Chi Xi had been quietly listening to Lei Yingzhe’s analysis. When he caught the scent of Yin Liuming’s tea, he instantly recognized it. “This smells exactly like the drink we had this morning.”

Yin Liuming’s expression darkened.

Chi Xi had mentioned that the three players who died today drank the drink in the morning.

Mi Anpei’s face went pale. “No way?! If I’d known earlier, I wouldn’t have drunk so much!”

Chi Xi walked over and took a sniff of Mi Anpei’s cup. His face relaxed a little. “This one doesn’t smell weird…”

Mi Anpei let out a sigh of relief.

Si He picked up the cup Si Cheng had just used. “How about this one?”

“This one has it.”

Si He’s expression instantly turned gloomy, and his lips pressed into a straight line.

He looked at Si Cheng and said right away, “We’re staying in the same room tonight.”

Si Cheng stared at the cup and stayed silent for a while, deep in thought. Then, unexpectedly, he said, “No, I’m going to the forest tonight.”

“Xiao Cheng!”

“How are we supposed to find any clues to clear the level if we keep doing things the same way and only wait around to die?” Si Cheng lifted his chin. “I don’t need your protection.”

“You…”

The brothers’ argument caught the attention of the other players.

Lei Yingzhe walked over first and said gently, “What’s going on? Can’t you talk it out if there’s a disagreement?”

Yin Liuming was about to ask Chi Xi to inform the others, but when he noticed Lei Yingzhe approaching, he seized the opportunity to explain the problem with the tea.

The entire room erupted in uproar.

“Are you sure? Is your nose that sensitive?”

“I only had a tiny sip, so it should be fine, right?”

Dinner had been so bad that most players didn’t touch the snacks. Still, a few had taken a few sips of tea, and their faces turned pale in an instant.

Chi Xi checked the cups one by one. A few teas had issues, but others appeared to be fine.

The players who had been affected wore expressions of either despair or anger.

The other players, though feeling relieved, also carried a quiet sense of excitement. If the fallen ones, who served as offerings, had already met the needed number, didn’t that mean their mission would be over?

Lei Yingzhe frowned. “Why would the townspeople’s drink and the tea from Solari Manor have the same thing in them?”

The two sides were supposed to be at odds, practically foes, yet somehow they were drinking the same thing.

Yin Liuming asked, “Who is the leader of the townspeople faction you saw?”

“He was a very old sailor with sparse hair and one blind eye hidden beneath an eyepatch.” Lei Yingzhe briefly described his looks, already guessing what Yin Liuming had in mind. “He moved fast and thought quickly, too, definitely not the same type of monster as the maids.”

Of course, the fact that he wasn’t a monster didn’t mean he held no ill intention.

Sometimes, human malice was the most terrifying of all.

Yin Liuming thought for a moment, then looked over at Si Cheng and Si He. “You’d better stay in your rooms tonight and avoid going out.”

Si Cheng frowned. “Why?”

“This manor belongs to Madame Solari. Whether she’s the dreamer or not, she won’t allow anyone to act recklessly here.”

Previously, the monstrous maids had tried turning players into offerings by making them break rules, such as smearing filth on their doors or luring them upstairs to the second floor.

In other words, as long as they followed Madame Solari’s rules, they would remain safe inside the manor.

The players who had drunk the drink looked relieved at first, but their expressions quickly shifted. They had made it through tonight, although tomorrow they still had to head into the forest to build the canoe.

……

At night, Si Cheng ran calmly through the forest with a dagger in each hand.

He had gotten a reward from completing the last dream, which boosted his speed, so now he moved quicker and had stronger bursts of power than most people.

He could withstand many surprise monster attacks that would be fatal to a normal person.

Therefore, Si Cheng refused to believe Si He’s cautious reasoning, always talking about being afraid of dying!

Yin Liuming was already close to uncovering the real secret behind the dream, so how could Si Cheng let himself fall behind?

Si Cheng thought the stone pillars were the heart of this dream, because otherwise there wouldn’t be so many bugs protecting them or such awful tentacle monsters appearing.

He ran swiftly and soon reached the spot where they had fought the bug monsters late at night.

From this spot, he could see six players tied to the stone pillars, including the three whose bodies had been buried at sea with the canoe today.

Below the pillars, the bugs surged like a churning tide.

Perhaps because there were no maid monsters left at Solari Manor, these tentacle monsters did not control the bugs; instead, they squirmed madly against the stone pillar.

Si Cheng narrowed his eyes, held a dagger between his teeth, and pulled a short knife from his waist.

When he prepared to charge forward, his expression suddenly changed, and he leaped to the side!

Two fierce bug monsters suddenly burst out from underground. Their sharp forelegs, covered in mud, screeched as they lunged toward Si Cheng.

Si Cheng sneered. The short knife in his hand shot out like it had its own eyes, flashing cold light as it sliced through the forelegs of both bug monsters, which fell to the ground with a clatter.

The bug monsters let out agonized, piercing screams.

The dagger flew back into his hand as if it had a life of its own.

Si Cheng’s face broke into a cold smile: these mindless monsters are easy to take down…

At that moment, a sharp pressure hit his feet because something caught his ankle and pulled him off the ground.

Si Cheng instinctively slashed at his ankle, but a sticky, slimy tendril wrapped around his wrist and pulled his arm hard.

Si Cheng clenched his teeth and twisted his wrist, slicing through one tentacle. More tentacles then attacked without delay.

Though he was fast, the sheer number of tentacles overwhelmed him. They blocked every way out, leaving him completely stuck.

A slimy tentacle curled around his neck and tightened. Without enough air, his mind began to struggle, and his consciousness faded…

As two tentacles lunged at Si Cheng’s eyes, a gentle light bloomed behind him, freeing him from their grasp.

Si Cheng tumbled to the ground, coughing twice. Surprise flashed across his face as he called out, “Brother?”

Si He’s hand lit up, creating a translucent barrier that protected both brothers from the tentacles’ attacks.

He looked stern and said, “Be careful. Let’s go!”

Si Cheng pressed his lips tightly and clenched his fist briefly before letting go. “All right.”

When they last went into the forest, the tentacle monsters only stayed around the stone pillars, sending bugs to attack the players. So, how did they manage to come this deep into the forest now?

And not just one!

Four or five shadowy figures silently circled the translucent barrier, striking it with their tentacles, trying to trap and consume those inside.

These tentacle monsters looked extremely gruesome; even a glance made one feel nauseated.

Their slimy tentacles twisted and coiled in the pitch-black night, stirring the deepest fears inside one’s heart.

Si He breathed deeply, unable to scold Si Cheng for running headfirst into trouble. He held Si Cheng’s hand and warned, “Don’t be reckless. Stay behind me.”

Si Cheng moved in front of him instead. “I’m not a child anymore. I can kill them all!”

Si He frowned. As his gaze settled on Si Cheng’s face, his expression suddenly shifted.

There were faint traces of blood at the corners of Si Cheng’s eyes, and his look carried a strange passion.

Though Si Cheng had always been impulsive and wanted to fight, he had never been so reckless and irresponsible.

Si He immediately thought of the tea and muttered a curse under his breath. He took a deep breath. “Xiao Cheng, you’re not thinking clearly right now, so listen to me.”

……

The second floor of Solari Manor was the only place in the town that still had light late at night.

In a cramped room stacked with uncut jade, sapphire, and agate, Madame Solari felt something. She glanced up, a slight look of confusion flashing across her face as she whispered, “Seven offerings already?”

Nothing happened tonight, did it?

Madame Solari’s finely arched brows briefly knitted before smoothing out as she dismissed the thought. Whatever, players who didn’t follow her rules weren’t worth her concern.

……

The sun came up the next day as usual, and the players still needed to find ways to complete their mission.

The players who sided with the townspeople faction had made it through the night safely, but today they nervously went to keep working on the townspeople’s task of building the dugout canoe.

Building the canoe felt like digging their own graves.

Those who drank the tea at yesterday’s dinner felt especially nervous, fearing they might suffer the same grim fate as the three players from before.

Yin Liuming went to the dock as always and saw a few more townspeople there.

When Yin Liuming approached, they scattered like before and vanished, leaving only the canoe to go out to sea.

This time, Yin Liuming endured the canoe’s fishy stench and stepped onto it lightly.

The canoe sank instantly, as if it couldn’t float at all.

“According to the townspeople, only a canoe you build with your own hands can bear your weight.”

Lei Yingzhe came up behind him with a smile and said, “They say every fisherman in Solari Town builds their own boat.”

Yin Liuming glanced at him but said nothing.

Lei Yingzhe added, “Do you have any valuable information? I think we can exchange what we know.”

Yin Liuming glanced at him. “What makes you think I have any information?”

Lei Yingzhe tapped his temple and said, “Instinct. Someone like you is well-suited for breaking through the Nightmare Game.”

Yin Liuming raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“In the Nightmare Game, players usually fall into two main types. The first is the rational kind, which makes up the majority. They see the dream as something completely unreal, like they’re inside a full-dive VR game. Because of that, they can stay calm and make logical choices without getting caught up in emotions.” Lei Yingzhe seemed to be warming up to the topic. “The second type is more emotional. They slowly blur the line between what’s real and what’s not, and they start caring too much about the feelings of the NPCs in the dream. Some even end up falling for them. That’s why this type is rare, and they usually don’t survive long in the Nightmare Game.”

Yin Liuming had heard a bit about this from Ning Yuanyuan before. He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Which type are you?”

Lei Yingzhe smiled. “I’m one of the first type. But it’s not that I believe the dream is fake. I made myself think this way because I’m scared I’ll get too wrapped up in it.”

A scornful laugh echoed in Yin Liuming’s ears as Shen Lou said, “He really knows how to put on a show for himself.”

Lei Yingzhe didn’t hear Shen Lou’s voice. He changed the subject and said, “You’re neither of them, but somehow, you’re also both.”

Yin Liuming said nothing.

“Rational players might do better when it comes to logic, but it’s actually hard for them to pass a level because every dream has a real dreamer behind it. The reason that a dream is picked by the Nightmare Game is that there’s a deep emotional issue that the players need to solve.” Lei Yingzhe glanced at Yin Liuming. “You need strong empathy to spot those emotional details.”

Yin Liuming remembered that in the last dream, Fresh Flowers Scorched Earth Campus, what confirmed Chu Dong as the dreamer was the subtle guilt she showed toward Director Jiang and Qi Xiaobei.

As for this dream…

Yin Liuming smiled politely. “Sorry to let you down, Mr. Lei. I’m really not as impressive as you think.”

Lei Yingzhe sighed. “You seem very guarded around me.”

“We are competitors,” Yin Liuming said with a smile. “I’ve always been cautious around strangers.”

Lei Yingzhe laughed softly. “Alright then, I’ll be straight with you… I’d like to invite you into the guild.”

In the last dream, the one who set up the newcomers, Ding Pei’an, had also used the name of a guild. Yin Liuming’s smile became even more polite and distant.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to reject,” Lei Yingzhe said with a smile. “You might have the wrong idea about guilds. The one I’m part of doesn’t take away members’ points or force any rules. It simply shares tasks from time to time, and whether you accept them or not is entirely up to you. But the rewards are pretty great, so skipping them would only mean missing out.”

Yin Liuming raised his eyebrows. “Then how does a guild like that make a profit?”

“Some guilds aren’t created to make money. They’re formed by people with shared interests, or to stay in touch, or to explore the secrets behind the Nightmare Game.” Lei Yingzhe smiled confidently at Yin Liuming. “Everyone in our ‘Sunken Anchor’ guild is a ranked player. We’re very selective about who we let in, especially when it comes to newcomers. But you’re exceptional. Want to give it a try?”

A guild made up entirely of ranked players…

Yin Liuming stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”

“You’re not even curious about what benefits the guild offers?”

“No interest,” Yin Liuming replied. “If I need something, I’ll find it myself.”

Lei Yingzhe was slightly startled, looking at Yin Liuming in mild surprise. After a long pause, he gave a helpless smile. “Alright then, good luck.”

Yin Liuming’s gaze suddenly swept over a figure walking by. He politely said goodbye to Lei Yingzhe, then walked over and patted that person.

The man turned around, revealing a pair of eyes that blazed with regret and fury.

Yin Liuming paused for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

Si Cheng unclenched his tightly clenched jaw, his voice trembling slightly. “My brother is dead.”

Yin Liuming was stunned.

—Si He is dead?

Since Si Cheng had the tea yesterday, it made sense that something might happen today. But even though Si He was concerned back then, he didn’t seem all that

These two brothers obviously had experience passing through many dreams and surely contained enough protective means…

But Si Cheng was unharmed, while Si He ended up dead?

His expression turned slightly serious. “What happened?”

Si Cheng had bitten his lip hard enough to draw blood. After a long pause, he finally muttered, “He used a substitution prop to swap his situation with mine.”

So those damn tentacle monsters shifted their target onto Si He, and then Si He shook him off and lured them away by himself.

And after that…

Yin Liuming furrowed his brows, then slowly relaxed them. Seeing how terrible Si Cheng looked, he patted his shoulder and said, “My condolences. Try to think it through.”

Si Cheng’s clothes were a bit ripped, with dried blood clinging to the wounds on his shoulder and the back of his hand. But what stood out even more was his mental state, as he looked dazed.

Si Cheng lifted his gaze, his bright eyes filled with pain and unyielding determination. “I know. I won’t act rashly… As long as I’m alive, there’s still hope to save my brother. But if I die, then he’s truly gone.”

Just as a trace of doubt rose in Yin Liuming’s heart, Shen Lou’s voice sounded beside his ear. “What Nightmare Game players wish for most is to bring their loved ones or family members back to life.”

The Nightmare Game was already strange enough, but the fact that it could revive the dead still caught Yin Liuming off guard.

Still, knowing that Si Cheng now had something to pin his hopes on in this regard, Yin Liuming felt a little more at ease.

Yin Liuming hadn’t known Si Cheng and Si He for very long, but it was obvious they shared a strong bond. Although they bickered often, most of their arguments were just small disagreements between an older brother trying to take charge and a younger one going through a rebellious streak.

Si He had a gentle personality and got along easily with Yin Liuming, while Si Cheng was hot-headed but full of energy. Yin Liuming had always believed the Si brothers were worth getting close to.

While Yin Liuming was still thinking of a way to distract Si Cheng, Chi Xi rushed over from a distance, calling out, “Brother Yin! Brother Yin!”

“What’s wrong?”

Chi Xi came running, out of breath. He bent over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath, then said, “The townsman who died yesterday has come back to life!”

……

Yin Liuming arrived near the forest and spotted the townsman who had died the day before. He was knocking on the trunk of a large tree and spoke in a rough voice, “This tree has good wood. Those who didn’t pick it yesterday, you can chop this one down to build a boat.”

He looked strikingly lifelike. Though his eyes were cloudy, they still worked. His face was lined with deep wrinkles, and his blank expression gave no sign that he had died yesterday.

Those who had witnessed his eye sockets and brain scraped clean the previous day felt a chill run through them. Not a single person dared to get close.

Yin Liuming was frowning as he examined the townsman when Si Cheng’s shaky voice cried out from behind, “Brother?”

Yin Liuming froze for a moment, then turned around in shock. “Si He?”

Si Cheng clenched his fists, his hands shaking slightly. His eyes were a bit unfocused, and he tried hard to lower his voice. “That’s my brother’s voice. I can’t be mistaken.”

—Is this resurrected townsman really Si He?