Wen Shichun turned and rejoined the group. Xun Yi and Chang Zhao had waited for him briefly, while the others had already moved ahead.
The weather suddenly shifted—the temperature outside seemed to drop with every passing second.
In the end, everyone sped toward the open doors of the mansion.
Wen Shichun was the last player to enter. Once inside the hall, he instinctively glanced back. In just a minute, the world outside had transformed into a frozen wasteland.
Fortunately, the interior was comfortably warm, the radiators emitting a slow, steady trickle of water.
Chang Zhao, standing by the door, shut it behind them and called out to the white-haired young man, "Hey, why’d you join a B-rank instance? Alone, really?"
Wen Shichun glanced at him but remained silent.
"Hey, I’m talking to you," Chang Zhao pressed, undeterred. "You weren’t… abandoned here by someone, were you?" He took a step closer, unable to think of any other explanation. After all, instance invitations weren’t something just anyone could get their hands on.
Chang Zhao studied the face before him—one too striking to forget. How had he never heard of a player this stunning before? This beauty could easily dethrone the top-ranked idol on the White Moon leaderboard.
Even if this "beauty’s" player rating was pathetically low… Chang Zhao’s gaze lingered on Wen Shichun’s profile, and he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. So damn pretty. The thought softened his impatience, almost against his will. How strange—how could White Moon, a ranking system that automatically evaluated players’ looks, charm, and presence, have missed someone like this?
While Chang Zhao was lost in thought, the others in the hall were clearly thinking the same.
In this survival game, low-tier players clinging to high-tier protectors was a common sight. But for an E-rank player to appear alone in a B-rank instance? Nine times out of ten, they’d been discarded.
Xun Yi’s gaze was the most restrained of the group. The abrupt weather shift forced him to reassess the instance. Emergency train stops were rare—who knew what they’d stumbled into?
"Shall we begin the investigation?" Wen Shichun’s voice cut through the silence, bypassing the stares fixed on him. His calm eyes were already fixed on the wooden staircase directly across from the hall’s entrance.
The stairs stretched to the far end of the first floor, splitting into left and right paths halfway up to the second floor. At the landing, an oval platform jutted out, its back wall adorned with a massive pitch-black portrait.
That unsettling feeling crept in again.
Hearing the E-rank player’s composed tone, Chang Zhao chuckled. "You’re in a hurry."
Then, the youngest of the group, Yue Cheng, suddenly stepped forward. He stopped in front of Wen Shichun and grinned. "You look even prettier when you frown."
His eyes locked onto those icy blue irises. When Wen Shichun turned to him, Yue Cheng added, "The killer’s somewhere in this mansion. If you’re scared, you can stick with me."
Xun Yi and the two other female players watched as Yue Cheng fawned over the E-rank player, but none of them interrupted. Though they remained wary of this player from the District 4, he hadn’t shown any outright hostile intentions yet.
The dungeon had only just begun—no one wanted to disrupt the fragile peace.
Wen Shichun glanced at the young man in front of him. His expression was earnest, and his handsome features lent his words an air of credibility.
And yet… something felt off.
Just then, the creak of footsteps echoed from the wooden staircase, sharp and distinct in the silent mansion. Everyone in the hall tensed, their gazes snapping toward the sound—only to see He Yi descending from above.
“Everyone’s inside now?” As he reached the hall, He Yi’s eyes lingered briefly on Yue Cheng and the E-rank player before settling on Xun Yi. “I saw the weather change from the third floor.”
After this explanation, he continued, “The mansion has three floors. The second floor has eight bedrooms and a lounge. The third floor has a study and a recreation area. The dining room is on this level, with a side door leading to the courtyard. Beyond that, there’s a cliff.”
The group seemed taken aback by He Yi’s sudden appearance—and the information he’d brought.
Xun Yi was the first to recover. “You’ve already scouted the place. Did you find anything unusual?”
He Yi let out a light chuckle. “What you really mean is, ‘Did I run into the killer?’”
His gaze swept over the others in the hall. “The innermost bedroom on the left side of the second floor is locked. I didn’t see any sign of the killer along the way. If the killer’s still in this mansion, why don’t we start by breaking into that room?”
His tone was casual, almost teasing, and his eyes drifted toward Wen Shichun—as if trying to coax him into joining the venture.
Another B+ player, Shen Jing, frowned. “You came down because you realized this isn’t just a simple investigation dungeon, didn’t you?”
The sudden weather shift was an indirect warning—something else was influencing the dungeon. The background information had mentioned nothing about this, meaning the scenario had likely changed mid-game. In such an uncertain situation, recklessly testing the dungeon’s killing mechanics was the last thing they should do.
Most importantly, they’d been caught in an unscheduled train stop.
B-rank players might still have survival tools or escape items, but their team now included an E-rank.
As Shen Jing spoke, Wen Shichun turned his attention to her.
The female player met his gaze and gave him a slight nod.
He Yi raised an eyebrow at the exchange. His eyes flicked back to Wen Shichun. In such a short time, this E-rank had somehow won over several players. Shen Jing was clearly warning him about the dungeon’s nature, and even that gray-sweatered man beside him had softened his stance.
Taking another look, wasn’t the youngest guy in the group also inviting that E-rank earlier when he came downstairs?
He Yi found it somewhat amusing. But as he observed the dynamics between these people, he himself was also being watched.
Xun Yi had initially suspected this man was the one who brought the E-rank in—after all, he was the first to mention the invitation.
There was a chance the two were putting on an act, but now it didn’t seem so. Still, it was too early to draw conclusions.
But like He Yi, Xun Yi was puzzled by Chang Zhao and Shen Jing’s sudden show of goodwill toward the E-rank.
Yue Cheng from the District 4 could be ignored—his approach to the E-rank was almost certainly insincere.
Xun Yi’s gaze shifted to Wen Shichun.
The man’s pale, cold complexion held an eerie beauty under the dim lighting of the hall.
Was it because of that face?
A faint sneer seemed to flicker behind Xun Yi’s glasses. The female player’s warning could be chalked up to kindness, but Chang Zhao, from his own district, seemed purely swayed by looks.
Pathetic.
"Since one of the eight bedrooms is locked, let’s head up first and assign the rooms," Xun Yi suggested.
No one objected.
The group made their way toward the second floor together.
Outside, the sky had darkened completely. The uneven creaking of the stairs sounded unnerving.
Wen Shichun controlled the weight of his steps, but the wooden planks still groaned underfoot.
His eyes narrowed slightly—so these stairs were designed to monitor whoever walked on them.
After all, given his training, if he didn’t want to make a sound—
Suddenly.
The white-haired young man at the back of the group halted.
Chang Zhao, behind him, stumbled to a stop as well before stepping around to face Wen Shichun.
"What’s wrong?" Chang Zhao asked. Was it his imagination, or had the beauty’s face grown even paler?
And even more striking.
Wen Shichun ignored him, his gaze fixed on the dimly lit corner of the staircase—where a lone chair sat.
Because of the noise below, the people ahead halted and turned to look back.
He Yi glanced at the E-rank and let out a laugh, its meaning unclear.
Yue Cheng, however, took a few steps back toward them, his eyes gleaming with even greater interest.
"Did you find something, Brother?" Yue Cheng asked as he stopped on the stair step closest to Wen Shichun.
A few seconds passed.
Wen Shichun withdrew his gaze from the corner. "It’s nothing."
The group resumed their ascent to the second floor, this time with Yue Cheng walking beside Wen Shichun.
Seizing the moment, Wen Shichun silently reached out in his mind:
[System…]
[Does this game dungeon…]
[Have ghosts?]
Even in the trailing echo of his thoughts, that single word trembled faintly—mirroring his current state of mind.
Hearing that usually cool, composed voice now laced with an almost imperceptible quiver, the system paused.
Only after the group had reached the second floor did it finally respond: [Are you… afraid of ghosts?]
Now it was Wen Shichun’s turn to fall silent.
In that moment, the system might as well have sighed out loud.
So its earlier suspicion had been correct.
Then it noticed a single bead of moisture sliding down the young man’s pale forehead.
System: […]
Was this… sweat from fear?
"Brother?" Yue Cheng stood in front of Wen Shichun. When those striking blue eyes met his, he added, "If you’re scared… do you want to share a room with me?"
As his voice faded, the gazes of the others in the second-floor hallway snapped toward them.
Wen Shichun’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t understand how this person had deduced his fear—but the repeated suggestions were… peculiar.
After all, even if he were actually scared to death—no one should’ve been able to tell.
Wen Shichun didn’t answer—clearly rejecting Yue Cheng.
The young man’s mouth twisted downward, his displeasure blatant and unsettling.
Soon, the rooms were assigned: Xun Yi, Chang Zhao, Shen Jing, and Boya took the four rooms on the right. Xun Yi’s room was near the stairs, Chang Zhao’s opposite his, while the two women settled in the innermost, relatively safer rooms.
Wen Shichun’s room was the first on the left side of the staircase. Further down was He Yi’s, facing Yue Cheng’s, while diagonally across from his stood the locked door.
When he pushed open his bedroom door, He Yi—leaning against his own doorway next door—suddenly turned and smirked at him.
"Surprise?" He Yi asked.
He clearly knew what awaited inside.
Wen Shichun’s gaze landed on the computer in the room.
Next door, He Yi propped himself against the doorframe and said cheerfully, "Xiao Shi, yours is the only room with a computer, you know."
As the two exchanged words, the others in the hallway glanced over, their thoughts unreadable. But every B-rank player sensed it: Wen Shichun’s room likely had some connection to the killer. Staying there might even make him the first target.
He Yi’s gloating rubbed some the wrong way. Across the hall, Chang Zhao opened his mouth to speak—but Wen Shichun cut in first, tilting his head toward He Yi.
"Then I’ll check what’s on the computer," he said.
With that, he stepped inside and shut the door.
Yue Cheng, who’d been about to extend another invitation, halted as the door closed. He turned into his own room with a sharp slam.
Meanwhile, Xun Yi addressed the remaining players: "Stick to the plan. Search your rooms first. Regroup here in twenty minutes."
He entered his own bedroom—leaving the door ajar.
The others dispersed to their assigned rooms, ignoring He Yi entirely.
The man in the black hoodie lingered by his door for a moment before finally retreating inside, sneering at his so-called teammates. B-rank players, my ass. Since when do they care about playing nice? All he’d done was let the E-rank take the odd room out.
He Yi shook his head. He’d already combed through every room on the second floor—including the computer in Wen Shichun’s. Nothing. No clues, no internet.
Now sprawled on his bed, He Yi pulled up his personal interface. On it, a white card displayed silver boots—his Speed skill card, hovering prominently beside his profile.
Next to He Yi’s room, Wen Shichun didn’t immediately approach the computer after entering.
The white-haired young man stood still, listening intently to the sounds around him.
His heartbeat began to race unnaturally.
Back on the staircase—
There should have been seven people in their group.
Yet he’d heard eight pair of footsteps.
