Vol. 2 Chapter 30 – Deep Sea Sacrificial Town. (9)

Yin Liuming took another close look at the resurrected townsman.

He seemed to be in his fifties or sixties. His skin had darkened and toughened after years spent in the sea breeze and saltwater. His face was marked with deep lines, and his eyes looked dim and lifeless…

There was no trace of Si He in him.

Chi Xi heard what Si Cheng said, too, and asked in shock, “You sure you’re not mistaken?”

Si Cheng bit his lower lip hard. “No.”

He unexpectedly rushed forward, stood right in front of the townsman, clenched his fists, and stared at him intently.

The townsman raised his head and said in a hoarse voice, “This young man wants to join as well? But since you’re from the devil’s manor, I, Old Lev, won’t allow it.”

Si Cheng tightened his lips and only asked after a long pause, “You don’t recognize me?”

The townsman slowly turned around. His yellow, murky eyes carefully studied Si Cheng for a long time.

Si Cheng grew even more uneasy as he looked at him, eyes filled with both fear and hope.

At last, the townsman shook his head. “Never seen you.”

“No way!” Si Cheng burst out emotionally and grabbed his wrist. “This scar is from when you saved me during our first dream! Don’t you remember?!”

The townsman glanced at Si Cheng in confusion and tried to pull his hand away. “What’s this young man talking about? I got this scar while chopping wood… Have you stayed in the devil’s manor so long that it’s messed with your head?”

Si Cheng clenched his teeth and glared at him, then slowly let go, his hand falling in defeat.

The other players weren’t clueless. After being together for several days, they might not have known each other’s background, but they could still tell that Si He and Si Cheng were brothers.

—Was this resurrected townsman actually Si Cheng’s dead brother?

What was even stranger than an NPC being brought back to life was that the one who returned wasn’t really them.

Someone asked nervously, “Maybe he mistook him for someone else?”

How could this smelly old man, reeking of fish, be the same young man they had just seen the day before?

Si Cheng tightly shut his mouth, then turned around and ran off.

Chi Xi and Yin Liuming shared a look, nodded once, and went after him together.

……

Si Cheng rushed over to an old wooden shack, pulled out a short blade, and started slashing at a wooden stake nearby. He struck it over and over, almost chopping it into firewood, before he finally stopped, breathing heavily.

Tears streamed down his face.

Yin Liuming stood behind him and let out a quiet sigh before walking up and saying, “If we want to be sure he’s really Si He, we can try looking at it from another angle.”

Si Cheng quickly turned around, his eyes lighting up. “What angle?”

“Check the others.” Yin Liuming gestured toward the dock. “When we got to the town, no one came out except the lantern man. But once players started dying, the townspeople slowly began stepping out of their houses. If they are the dead players, then the ones who died earlier should be among them too.”

Si Cheng pressed his lips together, then said decisively, “Where do we start?”

Yin Liuming thought for a moment. “Let’s start with the ones most recognizable.”

……

Among the early deaths, the most recognizable players were the couple who died on the first and second days.

Yin Liuming quickly spotted who it might be, an old couple.

In the past two days, whenever Yin Liuming got close to the dock, they would avoid him and never interact with him directly.

Yin Liuming decided to hide and wait in ambush this time.

He waited outside their house, keeping an eye on the place. Around noon, when the couple came back home holding each other for support, he stepped out and blocked their way.

The moment the old couple saw Yin Liuming, they tried to run. But Si Cheng moved like lightning, circling them twice with a rope and tying them up right there.

Yin Liuming looked closely at the husband’s face and gave a nod. “This man appeared at the dock on our second day in town.”

By then, the first player had already died.

Chi Xi said, “This old lady appeared a day after that, I think.”

That was also after the female player died.

Si Cheng wasn’t a patient person. He asked anxiously, “Do you know me?”

The old couple stared at him timidly and shook their heads in a panic.

Chi Xi looked a bit troubled. “How do we even identify them?”

They didn’t know that pair of players to begin with.

Yin Liuming gave it a moment’s thought, then told Si Cheng to separate them and lead the husband around to the back.

Moments later, screams of pain came from behind.

As soon as they were separated, the old woman, who had stayed quiet until now, suddenly started to resist. She lifted her head for the first time and looked at them with her cloudy eyes. She said in a rough voice, “Give him back to me!”

That look was all too familiar.

It was the same expression the female player had when she stared at Madame Solari, begging her to return her boyfriend.

Yin Liuming gave the female player a long and deep look.

There was no need to confirm it anymore.

Si Cheng pulled the husband back. When he noticed the look on Yin Liuming’s face, he understood right away. His eyes narrowed as he asked sharply, “What happened to you two?! How did you end up like this?!”

The two elders struggled helplessly and muttered something unintelligible, refusing to speak to them properly.

Si Cheng knew a few ways to get someone to talk, but when he thought about how these two might be players like them, and how his brother had ended up the same way, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

In the end, he gave up and let them go.

Yin Liuming said, “I might have an idea.”

He reached into his pocket and pressed his hand on the illustration book.

The only illustration he unlocked in this dream granted a skill that used poison to trigger hypnosis, paralysis, and hallucinations.

One point per bottle, which was a good deal.

Once the trade was made, the poison showed up right in Yin Liuming’s hand, sealed in a transparent glass bottle.

Si Cheng was slightly stunned. “You exchanged it inside the instance?”

“Isn’t the point cost doubled when exchanging inside the instance?”

Yin Liuming gently shook the crimson liquid and smiled. “It’s alright.”

Si Cheng pressed his lips together. “Thanks.”

The two townspeople stared in horror at the poison in Yin Liuming’s hand. It looked like they’d realized something and began to struggle to flee.

Naturally, Si Cheng wasn’t going to let them escape. He opened the bottle and gave each of the elderly pair a dose.

The two tried to retch, but their movements grew sluggish. Their expressions became numb, then distorted with confusion. Their facial wrinkles twitched along with their shifting expressions.

Yin Liuming crouched down and stared into their eyes. “Who are you?”

The husband moved his lips. “Seph…”

The wife frowned, as if trying to speak, but then stopped herself.

Seeing this, Yin Liuming turned to her. “What’s your real name?”

The wrinkles around her mouth twitched again and again. A struggle surfaced in her eyes, and she slowly forced out three words. “Shi… Shi Shanshan…”

A Chinese name.

Si Cheng’s eyes lit up. “Do you remember what happened?”

Shi Shanshan looked dazed. “It hurts…”

“Where does it hurt…”

“My eyes… something’s trying to get inside…”

Yin Liuming frowned slightly, recalling the slimy, fast-moving tentacle monsters from the stone pillar. “How did you end up like this?”

“The sea… the Fish God’s transformation…” Shi Shanshan murmured like she was caught in a dream. Her face twisted with even more struggle, and pain flashed in her eyes. “Who am I… who am I?”

Si Cheng said firmly, “You’re Shi Shanshan.”

“Shi Shanshan?… Who is that? It hurts, it hurts so much—” Shi Shanshan suddenly screamed, “Give him back to me! No, it hurts! Aaaah—Help me!”

Her words became increasingly incoherent. She struggled so hard that she broke free from the ropes Si Cheng had tied her with.

The moment she got free, she grabbed her husband and darted off at a speed no ordinary person could match.

Si Cheng was about to chase after her, but Yin Liuming said, “No need to chase. We’ve already confirmed what we needed to know.”

Si Cheng gritted his teeth. “Let’s go find my brother.”

“No.” Yin Liuming shook his head, unexpectedly. “Let’s investigate this first.”

He gently shook the bottle of crimson poison, still mostly full.

Yin Liuming unscrewed the cap and looked at Chi Xi. “Smell it.”

Chi Xi jumped, looked uneasily at Yin Liuming, and only after confirming he wasn’t joking did he lean down and sniff. Then he covered his nose. “It smells so weird!”

“Feel familiar?”

Chi Xi hesitated for a moment, thinking it over, and seemed a bit unsure. “If it were a little weaker, it kind of smells like that light drink the townspeople usually have…”

Si Cheng’s expression froze.

Yin Liuming swirled the bottle slightly and explained, “This poison was extracted using a special method from those bug monsters in the forest.”

In other words, the townspeople used poison from those bugs to make drinks for the players?

He looked at Si Cheng and paused for a moment before adding, “This poison causes hallucinations. You rushing out last night on impulse might’ve been because of that, too.”

Si Cheng clenched his fists and lowered his gaze, then turned and started walking away.

“Wait, one more thing.”

Yin Liuming stopped him. “Don’t you think this liquid looks familiar?”

Crimson, slightly dense, just like blood…

Even though Si Cheng was in a rush, he wasn’t thoughtless. He forced himself to calm down and think it through. His expression slowly grimed, then turned into shock. “Madame Solari?”

Madame Solari drank a glass of that liquid every night at dinner. Aside from being a bit lighter in color, it looked almost identical to this poison!

Chi Xi gasped. “Why would she drink that?”

Yin Liuming replied calmly, “It might not be her own choice. Someone else might be behind it.”

A poison that caused hallucinations, paralysis, and hypnosis. It might have trapped Madame Solari inside her mind, making her forget the dream even existed, forget her mission, and lose her grip on Solari Manor.

That was probably what had been mixed into the players’ drinks as well, which explained why they ended up dead.

As for the one who calmly poured out the poison…

“The butler!”

Si Cheng gritted his teeth and twirled the dagger in his hand. “Where is he?”

……

Every night at dinner, the butler brought Madame Solari a glass of crimson drink. So all they had to do was wait for dinnertime and lie in wait.

There were even fewer people gathered in the dining hall today than yesterday.

After asking around, they learned that some unknown creature had killed two more players, although everyone knew it had been another tentacle attack.

Along with the two players, two townspeople had also died. Just like the players, their eye sockets and brains had been devoured, and their bodies were covered in wounds left by hooks.

—One of the players who died was a combat-type known for using hooks.

Counting it all up, nine players had already died.

At dinner that evening, Madame Solari came in with her drink. “Darlings, you must be starving. The butler went out to hire a chef for you. He’ll be back soon, so hang in there for one more day.”

There was even less bread and water on the table than on the previous days.

After what had happened before, not a single player dared to touch it.

Madame Solari looked at them in surprise. “Aren’t you all hungry?”

Of course they were. But seriously, who would eat something that could be a death flag?

Yin Liuming stared coldly at Madame Solari’s wine glass. The red liquid inside was already more than halfway finished, which meant she had drunk some before even entering the room.

He stepped forward. “Madame, when did the butler leave?”

Madame Solari’s graceful brows drew together a little. “Hmm, I believe it was last night, just after he brought you your meal. Don’t worry, my butler is quite dependable. He’ll be back before dinner tomorrow.”

—So he left last night…

Yin Liuming nodded thoughtfully.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the area near Madame Solari.

While he was talking to her, Chi Xi carefully moved closer and lightly sniffed the wine glass sitting beside Madame Solari.

Chi Xi’s expression changed, and he gave Yin Liuming a subtle nod.

Yin Liuming ended the small talk with Madame Solari courteously.

Once Madame Solari left, Chi Xi rushed over, unable to hold back. “Brother Yin, it’s the same smell!”

Si Cheng came over and asked in a low voice, “What now?”

Yin Liuming thought for a moment. “You and Si He investigated the manor before, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there any place like a dungeon or a basement?”

“There is one. But it was empty. Why?”

“Let’s go check it out,” Yin Liuming said. “We might still be able to save two people.”

Mi Anpei leaned in. “What are you guys doing? I’m going too!”

Chi Xi had planned to follow, but after Mi Anpei cut in first, he quietly closed his mouth.

Yin Liuming glanced at him, agreed to let Mi Anpei tag along, then patted Chi Xi on the shoulder. “If you’re not coming, you can tell the other players what we suspect about the butler poisoning the drinks.”

Chi Xi was shocked. “You’re giving them the information for free?”

“Giving them a heads-up is enough,” Yin Liuming said. “If fewer people die, it’s worth it.”

Si Cheng looked at Yin Liuming with surprise, frowned, and said, “Don’t be too considerate to others.”

Yin Liuming only smiled and didn’t argue.

He wasn’t trying to be considerate. He didn’t think anyone else could figure things out quicker than he did.

And if he could save a few more people along the way, then why not?

……

The dungeon in the Solari Manor was behind the garden pond.

When Si Cheng and Si He investigated the manor before, this was the first place they searched. Back then, they had easily figured out how to unlock the door.

According to Si Cheng, the dungeon had been empty when they checked it.

Yin Liuming said calmly, “You checked it in the morning?”

Si Cheng nodded.

“If you’d come later, you might’ve found something new.”

Yin Liuming reached out and twisted the lock off with ease, then walked in with a cold expression.

“Is Brother Yin having… a dual personality or something?”

His aura at night was way different from during the day!

Si Cheng shot him a glance and followed Yin Liuming inside.

Mi Anpei, left without his usual partner to banter with, muttered gloomily, “If Xiao Chi were here, we’d probably have a ton to chat about… Next time you all go out, take me with you!”

The Solari Manor’s dungeon was very clean, with three or four layers of doors.

At first, they didn’t notice anything, but as they got closer, they vaguely heard a hoarse voice calling, “Is anyone there…”

Yin Liuming sped up, reached the final iron gate, and pulled it open with one swift motion.

Inside the room, two barely breathing people were chained up with shackles. One of them lay limp on the floor, occasionally lifting his head to let out a weak howl. His face was numb, like he had just checked out at work.

When he suddenly saw Yin Liuming and the others appear, the slightly more alert player looked dazed, like he thought he was dreaming.

Mi Anpei blurted out, “What the hell! What are they doing here?!”

Yin Liuming found a key on the table and went over to unlock their chains. “They were thrown in here by Madame Solari.”

“Ah?”

“They snuck up to the second floor.”

These were the two players Yin Liuming had caught on the second floor trying to steal jewels, only to be caught red-handed by Madame Solari.

“They’re still alive?!” Mi Anpei pulled out a bottle of water and two pieces of bread from his bag, then handed them over. The two players grabbed them and ate like they hadn’t seen food in days. “Damn, how long have you gone without eating?”

One of them swallowed a rough bite of bread and mumbled, “Two days…”

Two whole days without food or water!

When Madame Solari first tossed them in, they were just thankful she didn’t kill them right away. But after that, no one came, not even enemies or allies. No matter how much they shouted, they ended up stuck in here for the full two days.

Yin Liuming said, “Usually, the butler and maids would come to collect any players who broke Madame Solari’s rules and ended up locked away. But now the maids have vanished, and the butler ran off, so no one came to get them.”

That’s why these two weren’t counted among the ‘offerings.’

Mi Anpei remembered how they’d dealt with the maid monsters by splashing dirty water on the door. “Weren’t the maids locked in here, too?”

“Most likely, the butler handled them,” Yin Liuming said. “Madame Solari never gets involved directly. When she punishes players, she only locks them up in the dungeon. It’s the butler who’s been giving her the poison, killing the players, and leaving their bodies by the forest pillars.”

Madame Solari wasn’t their real enemy… the butler, Ralph, was.

Si Cheng’s expression grew colder. “Where do we find him?”

“Yesterday, the butler left in a hurry… maybe something happened over in the townspeople’s place?” Mi Anpei guessed. “So he rushed off to deal with it?”

Si Cheng asked, “Are we waiting out here tonight?”

Before he realized it, Si Cheng had started instinctively waiting for Yin Liuming’s decision.

Yin Liuming shook his head. “He didn’t come last night. That likely means he’s abandoned his arrangement in the manor. Waiting around here won’t work.”

Si Cheng grew restless. “Then…”

Yin Liuming suddenly turned to him, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “Are you willing to take a risk?”

Si Cheng froze for a second, then jerked his head up. “Of course!”

“Two townspeople died today. Their bodies must’ve been taken out to sea, right?” Yin Liuming said. “Let’s follow and check it out.”

Mi Anpei sucked in a sharp breath. “Damn!”

Going out to sea in the middle of the night, in a canoe, merely to chase after some dead bodies?!

Excitement sparked in Si Cheng’s eyes, but his voice remained calm. “If you’re scared, then don’t come.”

Mi Anpei chuckled. “Actually, I happen to like a good adventure.”

However, another question then came to mind. “None of us has ever used a canoe before. How are we supposed to sail it out?”

Yin Liuming said, “We will bring one more person.”

“Who?”

“Si He.”

Si Cheng froze for a second, and his eyes lit up with surprise.

The resurrected townsman they thought might be Si He was assigned to help players on the townspeople’s side cut down trees, and he even dug out a canoe to show them how it was done.

Si Cheng had wanted to find that townsman for a while now, but had been forcing himself to hold back. Now that he had a fair reason, he didn’t hesitate for a second and got ready to leave right away.

Then, a timid voice asked, “What about us?”

Mi Anpei glanced down in surprise and said, “Go have fun on your own. Why are you hanging around us?”

The player who had finished the bread and water that Mi Anpei handed over slowly regained some strength, letting out an awkward laugh. “Well, you guys pretty much saved us. We want to pay you back.”

Mi Anpei asked bluntly, “You just want to grab a share of the credit, don’t you?”

In the end, only one person would receive the clearance reward, but putting in more effort during the mission meant earning more points.

That player shamelessly grinned. “No way! We mean it, really…”

“Go back and tell the others,” Yin Liuming said flatly. “Have them investigate every household in town. It would be best if they could keep everyone under control. Emphasize the matter about the butler, too.”

The players immediately perked up. “No problem!”

Mi Anpei curled his lips and murmured, “Lucky bast*rds.”

……

“Brother Yin and the others went out to sea?”

Chi Xi confirmed it again and again with the rescued players. A hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

He had been left behind again.

But he quickly pulled himself together. He couldn’t depend on Brother Yin all the time, especially when he had his things to fight for. He had to earn them through hard work.

As the player most others looked up to, Lei Yingzhe quickly divided the remaining players into small teams to go out and control the townspeople.

Chi Xi was grouped with Lei Yingzhe.

Under the envious gaze of the others, Chi Xi awkwardly asked Lei Yingzhe, “Mr. Lei, I…”

“I’ll be honest, your fighting ability isn’t that strong, but you’re sharp when it comes to details, especially through scent,” Lei Yingzhe said with a smile. “People with unique skills like yours should be treated differently. That’s why I’m teaming up with you. I’ll keep you safe, and you can still help solve the mysteries. That way, you’ll earn more points in the end.”

It made perfect sense, and Chi Xi couldn’t find anything to argue with. He could only say gratefully, “Thank you, Mr. Lei.”

“No need.” Lei Yingzhe guided him toward their destination, an old run-down house near the forest, and let out a soft chuckle. “Are you this polite with Yin Liuming too?”

Chi Xi looked a little confused. “Brother Yin saved my life…”

Then he suddenly looked at Lei Yingzhe warily.

Lei Yingzhe waved his hand with a smile. “Don’t overthink it. I’m just trying to recruit Yin Liuming on behalf of my guild. I wanted to get to know him better. If there’s anything you’d rather not share, you don’t have to.”

Chi Xi quietly breathed a sigh of relief and firmly decided he wouldn’t say a single word about Yin Liuming.

Lei Yingzhe knew when to quit and didn’t press further.

Catching a townsman should’ve been easy for Lei Yingzhe, given his strength. However, they didn’t expect the wooden house to be in such disrepair. The moment they rushed inside, the whole roof came crashing down.

The townsman seized the chance and bolted toward the forest at an inhuman speed.

Lei Yingzhe immediately gave chase, and Chi Xi followed without thinking.

Lei Yingzhe and the townsman moved too quickly, and Chi Xi couldn’t keep up.

Chi Xi came to a stop, a little confused, now that both his teammate and the enemy had disappeared.

He paused with a slight frown, thinking for a bit. Then he picked up the weapon he’d gotten before entering the dream and started making his way to the stone pillars, following what he remembered.

All of a sudden, he lost his footing, like something had reached out and tripped him.

Chi Xi used his arms to prop himself up and wiped his face. Just then, he felt something crawl onto his shoulder, bringing with it a light, grassy scent that felt oddly familiar.

He noticed three gentle scratches on the side of his neck.

It stopped for a moment, then quickly scratched him three more times, each one sharp and urgent, like it was urging him to move.