Many barrage messages were encouraging Wan Weimao. He had red, bloodshot eyes as he looked at the many moving messages on the screen and listened to a soft female voice reading the Little Mermaid story. Suddenly, he snapped awake for a moment.
He removed his hand from the doorknob. As he moved away from the door, he whispered to himself: “Calm down, calm down, I need to calm down.”
Anyone with a brain knew that this door couldn’t be opened.
Even if he was really stupid, he wouldn’t listen to these people’s encouragement.
Lin Haoguang’s lips curled into a sneer, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes. As he glanced away, the flame atop the cigarette held between his fingers flickered for a brief moment before vanishing into darkness.
“Didn’t you all see the skeletons in the villa?” Wen Qingxue noticed that the newcomer, who seemed lost in thought, didn’t open the door in the end. So, she relaxed a bit and went on, “And also… there were players who stayed here before…”
Those who couldn’t pass the level are now stuck here forever, just like the others in the copy. But she doesn’t say it aloud.
Lin Qiyue took a deep breath upon hearing this. Whether it was the furniture made from bones moving or the players who were said to have ‘remained’ in the dungeon, it didn’t sound promising.
It’s understood that you can only survive by clearing the level, so doesn’t that mean everyone outside is just dead?
She asked cautiously, “How many players entered this dungeon before?”
Wen Qingxue glanced at Lin Qiyue, who was half-leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, and whispered softly, “Countless.”
Even she was uncertain about her fate. The thought of making it out of the dungeon alive seemed like an impossible dream to her.
[You should ask how many players managed to get out alive. Maybe she can count them on her fingers!]
[Hahaha, do you realize now that you’re at a dead end?]
The barrage of comments was filled with one mocking remark after another.
It not only hurt everyone’s feelings but also created a suffocating atmosphere.
Coincidentally, the story of the Little Mermaid going into the sea had just finished.
Silence filled the room.
Jiang Zuo had witnessed many similar atmospheres in the hospital, but what he had seen even more was the incredibly strong desire to live among countless patients.
It wasn’t even the last minute, so how could they give up so easily?
He broke the silence and said directly, “So how do we make it to the living room before nightfall? If I’m right, failing to get there on time will lead to an outcome no better than being caught. Plus, there are many bones in the living room…”
Wen Qingxue opened her eyes and glanced at Jiang Zuo. She never hesitated to offer advice to clever individuals who wanted to survive and had the ability to do so.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Her gaze swept over the new players.
Vtf qjerfv, tfg jaafcalbc wbwfcajglis vlnfgafv, jr Tbe Qerl mbcalcefv gfjvlcu atf Olaaif Zfgwjlv ojlgs ajif ab tlr klof, ktb rja lc j ktffimtjlg. Llr fzqgfrrlbc kjr ufcaif, tlr vfwfjcbg mjiw jcv mjglcu. Cr tf kjr cba lcafgfrafv lc atflg mbcnfgrjalbc.
Pc j kbgiv jr njra jr atlr, fcmbecafglcu ecereji qijsfgr kjr rlwqis qjg obg atf mbegrf.
As the mermaid story continued to play in the background, Wen Qingxue shifted her focus to Jiang Zuo and explained, “There will be fewer monsters in the corridor at night. The living room is safe during certain times, and so are the study and each of your rooms. They’re all safe zones. Just don’t do anything foolish to let strange things in, you’ll be fine.”
“Monster!”
Wan Weimao, who had finally calmed down, became anxious again, but this time in a different way. He no longer paid attention to the mocking and threatening red comments floating in front of him.
He walked straight towards Zhou Qingxing and said in a daze, “Officer! There’s a monster!”
Wan Weimao, who had been holding it in for a long time, couldn’t bear it any longer.
As a regular citizen, it was deeply ingrained in his subconscious to seek help from the police when something happened. Even in this strange copy world, he instinctively looked for assistance from law enforcement.
He looked into the policeman’s reassuring eyes and said, “I saw a monster last night! You don’t understand, what you saw was a teddy bear. At first, I thought it was the same, but then it turned into a teddy bear. It was a man, a very young man!”
Wan Weimao was so overwhelmed by the events of last night that he couldn’t even recognize himself anymore, and his expression grew increasingly anxious.
“The young man was covered in mud, and his head was bleeding. He begged me for help. I was about to go to him, but then he suddenly started laughing. It was a strange smile, starting from one corner of his mouth and spreading across half of his face. One side looked like it was in pain, while the other side was laughing uncontrollably.”
“You didn’t see it, that scene was so strange! He was smiling so happily, then he went to the desk and grabbed a knife. He started digging out his heart, one by one! And he was still smiling so happily!”
“Then the monster appeared!”
“There were numerous fish-headed monsters with large tentacles standing on the balcony, holding the missing black pearl in their grasp! The monster advanced step by step, took the heart from the young man’s hand, and then handed him the black pearl…”
“I was terrified, extremely scared, and I ran as fast as I could, desperately back to my room.” Wan Weimao covered his head directly. He didn’t mention that he stayed in the room for over ten minutes before sneaking into the study to exchange the pearl.
Afraid that the police might doubt his story, Wan Weimao’s desperation surged. He clutched the other person’s arm tightly with both hands, his eyes wide with fear. His voice trembled as he spoke rapidly, each word punctuated by urgency.
“There really is a monster! It’s huge and terrifying, with long fangs and countless tentacles! You have to believe me!” His tone verged on hysteria, his grip on the other person’s arm tightening with each passing moment.
Seeing Wan Weimao’s distress, Jiang Zuo acted swiftly. He stepped forward, his movements purposeful yet gentle, as he reached out to cover Wan Weimao’s bloodshot eyes with his hands. Speaking in a slow, soothing tone, Jiang Zuo guided Wan Weimao through a relaxation exercise.
“Breathe in deeply… and exhale slowly,” Jiang Zuo instructed calmly. “Imagine yourself just returning home from a long day at work. You’re lying on your comfortable sofa, surrounded by familiar sounds and smells. You can hear the soft murmur of neighbors chatting downstairs, and the enticing aroma of dinner cooking in the kitchen. You’re tired, but at this moment, all you need to do is rest…”
Thanks to the teacher who guided Jiang Zuo during his rotation in the psychiatric department. He not only practiced yoga regularly but also used it clinically to comfort patients. This seemingly passive skill turned out to be quite useful.
Even though it doesn’t happen often, it’s been confirmed that this method can indeed calm the mind.
Following Jiang Zuo’s guidance, Wan Weimao focused on his breathing, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. With each breath, he felt the weight of his troubling memories slowly dissipating. It was as if he was pouring out all the pent-up emotions and anxieties that had been weighing him down. Gradually, a sense of relief washed over him, and his tense muscles began to loosen. In that moment, he felt a newfound sense of calm and relaxation enveloping him, easing the tension that had gripped him moments before.
Taking a deep breath, Wan Weimao felt a sense of calm wash over him. As Jiang Zuo removed his hand from Wan Weimao’s eyes, he quickly whispered his thanks.
“You mentioned seeing a human?” Zhou Qingxing’s gaze shifted towards the oversized teddy bear sprawled on the floor. Despite the individual resembling a human in appearance and possessing the ability to speak and think, Zhou Qingxing struggled to find any other connection between the two.
Wan Weimao, no longer in his previous agitated state, nodded and explained, “Yeah, at first it just seemed like a teddy bear. But when I went into the room, the teddy bear transformed into a man. He looked very young, maybe in his 20s or 30s.”
“Was there anything else strange?” Zhou Qingxing pressed for more information.
Wan Weimao, whose thoughts were consumed by visions of fish-headed tentacle monsters, couldn’t provide any further details. All he could do was insist that the monster he saw was real, and he even smelled the fishy scent of the sea.
“The wind is strong, and the balcony is right by the sea. So, isn’t it normal to smell the fishy sea scent?” You Wusi suddenly.
He restarted the reading machine and listened to The Little Mermaid once more. He said with a smile, “Maybe it’s not the fish-headed tentacle monster after all. Perhaps it’s the Little Mermaid. Remember, what you see may not be normal. However, the part you see is real, like the big teddy bear lying on the ground with a peaceful and cute smile.”
[Is the player a fool??]
[Hey, the newcomers in this group seem a bit slow, and they’re not really keeping up with each other.]
You Wusi touched his wife, who was quietly playing with the bubble machine, and suddenly remembered a sentence he had read:
“It’s lonely to be unbeatable.”
It’s unfortunate that this world is ultimately controlled by the system. He should try to blend in and just be an ordinary clever player. Otherwise, if he gets caught, he might end up in a situation no better than the large teddy bear lying beside him.
“Maybe it’s just a hallucination,” Yi Jiangnan suggested, his gaze fixed on the teddy bear. He scrutinized its bright paint, furrowing his brows slightly. “Perhaps we’re all experiencing a massive hallucination right now.”
He confirmed that the paint was indeed just paint.
There was no hint of negative energy on the teddy bear. It was clearly just a toy, not even resembling human skin as it had before.
This teddy bear isn’t the same as before.
If it truly was a hallucination, when did it start? And what kind of ability would it take to create such a convincing illusion?
At that moment, the story of the Little Mermaid abruptly stopped echoing in the study.
Jiang Shishi, who had been quiet, extended his sharp nails and lightly touched the screen. With a click, it cracked. He silently withdrew his fingers and then poked the sturdy arm of the man beside him.
“The battery’s dead,” You Wusi remarked as he picked up the reading machine from Jiang Shishi’s lap. He searched through his pocket for the pre-installed data cable. Just as he was about to go charge it, his wife’s fingernail caught the reading device tightly. Not letting it go.
Luckily, he was prepared and pulled out a small audio device from another pocket.
Older players might vaguely recognize it as the popular MP3 player from many years ago.
Soon, a familiar female voice began singing a sweet nursery rhyme, filling the study.
This time, You Wusi successfully went to charge the reading machine with the cracked screen. Then, he quickly returned to his wife, placing the MP3 player on her lap and softly coaxing her, “Do you like it? It’s just as good as the song from last night, isn’t it?”
“Song!” Yi Jiangnan said solemnly, “There was something wrong with last night’s singing!”
Upon hearing this, Lin Qiyue tugged at Yi Jiangnan’s sleeve, politely but somewhat awkwardly smiled, and whispered, “You’re the music teacher, who do you think was singing? Wasn’t it you??”
“But the singing was by a woman!”
Yi Jiangnan still felt something was off about the singing. His recollection of the plot started from when he opened the door, and he was certain there was music playing while he was moving around.
How could it be his own character singing?
“Is it possible that the musician is actually a woman?”
Lin Qiyue quietly took out a photo from her small pink bag, showing a picture of two beautiful girls together. She flipped it over to reveal the words “Taken with Qixue in X year, X month” written on the back.
“And she’s also a student with the identity card of a girlfriend,” Lin Qiyue continued.
Yi Jiangnan had nothing to say.
He didn’t believe that the owner of this identity card was the culprit, nor did he think that she could possess the ability to open the illusion.
The two mentors quietly watched the struggles of the new players, perhaps also anticipating something.
But in the end, they remained silent.
As time passed slowly, accompanied by the melodious nursery rhyme, the rumbling of stomachs echoed, seemingly keeping rhythm with the song.
For a moment, no one spoke.
After all, all the players present, including You Wusi and Jiang Shishi, were not spared, and their stomachs all grumbled.
Jiang Shishi, who had been listening to the nursery rhyme attentively, suddenly froze.
His gaze shifted from the small object emitting the sound at his knee to his own stomach, which was also rumbling incessantly, his clear eyes filled with confusion.
However, soon after, he fiercely bared his teeth and slowly extended his sharp nails adorned with tulips.
Pain!
Something was attacking him!
Thank you for the chapter!!
Little zombie is so cute!
Thank you for the chapters 😍 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Thank you for the chapter! ❤
Thanks for translating!
Cute zombie wife
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Zombie husband is so patient 😆